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Michael’s Rangers
Prologue
A campfire story. Something you'd swap stories about, however horrifying they may be. Raiders, Talon Mercs, even Enclave Soldiers have all heard the tales. Tales of an unstoppable monster, capable of slaughtering entire regiments of Enclave soldiers, annihilating Evergreen Mills, and reigning down fire upon Paradise Falls. One could be forgiven for assuming that these tales were of a mythical creature; perhaps a Deathclaw with a grudge.The tales went on, however. This creature was a hunter unlike any other. Day or night, it was an apex predator through and through, no matter the location of the sun. The tales stated that the creature was once a man, turned feral due to too much exposure to too many things in the Wasteland. Others suggested it was the offspring of a Deathclaw and human, its only purpose to slaughter those it deemed unjust. Whatever was said about this creature seemed to only make the legend of it feared even more, so much so that many would-be Raiders or Talon Mercs would outright turn their lives around after hearing these tales.Before this creature was unleashed upon the Capital Wasteland, Raiding may have been a dangerous way to live, but now it was death sentence. The tales included stories about how entire camps of Raiders would be slaughtered, with only one survivor. That survivor was allowed to live, however, after being pinned to whatever nearby post or wall or sign would hold a person up. Pinned by railroad spikes, to be exact, with one word carved into their stomachs every time: Leave. At first, camps were quickly reestablished, not fearing that lightning would strike the same location twice. However, these locations were metaphorical lightning rods. After the first few times, Raiders thought they could simply move locations. They were wrong. This apex predator would always sniff them out, and every time it would end the same way.Talon Mercs had slightly different stories of this terror. However, one fact remained the same: One survivor. This monster would always leave one survivor to tell anyone who found them about this creature, and to warn them that they'd be next. There were stories about an entire platoon of Talon Mercs stationed at the Capital Building, a few days after retaking it – again – from the Super Mutants. First, it would be the sentries. Always a center-mass shot, always by something large-caliber. .50BMG, more than likely. Next, it was the patrols around the perimeter, drawn together by the shots, usually gathered around their fallen comrade's bodies. These groups of five or six were almost always found to be dispatched at close range. Sometimes a single slash to the throat, others would be completely decapitated, and then there were the slash marks, eerily similar to a Deathclaw's slash markings, bringing life to the half-human, half-Deathclaw rumors and horror stories. Next came those inside the building. Three round groupings to the head, but there were never any reports of any shots fired, not by the creature, and not by the Mercs. And every time, there would be a survivor, pinned to the doors of the building, the word 'Leave' carved into their stomach.The Enclave had somewhat similar experiences. After having both Raven Rock and their landcrawler destroyed, their Capital Wasteland operations were reduced to what seemed like small encampments, fueled by different factions within the Enclave which were birthed by the fracture caused by their entire foundation being destroyed. These encampments were usually manned by six or seven soldiers, one officer, and often one or two scientists. Sometimes, they'd even have a robot or two with them, though that was becoming more of a rarity. Not because they were running out, but because this creature, whatever it was, is somehow able to remotely control these combat machines and use them to take out the camp, without ever having to lift a rifle itself. When there weren't machines to do its bidding, however, the bodies of the Enclave soldiers often told a darker, more gruesome story. Their armor was often shredded, if not outright missing. Sometimes they'd find someone with a fist-sized hole in the chest of the armor, reaching all the way into the chest of the person inside, their heart literally ripped out of them.Whatever the faction, whatever the kind of weaponry used, the result was always the same; Those who were often deemed unjust were slaughtered. These tales said so, and the evidence said so. Raiders were growing increasingly uncommon. Talon Mercs seemed to be keeping to themselves more often, and Enclave members were more and more reluctant to go out into the wasteland.The commonfolk didn't fear this creature. Rather, they revered it. Three Dog, the Radio DJ, told stories of its exploits, praising it. Turning it into a kind of Wasteland Messiah for people just trying to survive honestly. He told tales of how thin the herds of 'wasteland baddies' were growing. He'd had on guests who were personally saved from Raiders or Super Mutants by this predator. Though, not much was known about it. The people who were saved often saw nothing but a man-shaped figure, wearing a brown leather duster, under which was a condensed version of Combat Armor, sporting both a hood and facemask. Those who did see more than that usually said the same thing; He fights like the devil himself, and his eyes were an icy blue, able to peer straight into one's soul. And as soon as the people were untied, he was gone before they could thank him. Disappeared from view, leaving nothing but a slightly distorted shimmer in his wake.If asked about what kind of weapons this creature carried, observant people who were rescued would usually say the same thing: All they really saw was often a rifle or two strapped to his back, the kinds of which varied slightly, and a revolver. Not just any kind of revolver, however. This thing was unlike anything else they'd seen. Absolutely massive in size and scope. When fired, they would claim, it was like the boom of a thunder cloud. They often had stories of the odd knife usually strapped to the lower back of his duster, of how the knife seemed to be the sharpest thing in existence, being able to cut the limbs of raiders clean off, or able to slam down onto the helmet of a Talon Merc and go straight through the steel alloy of the helmet, often times splitting their heads in two all the way down to the mouth or nose.Whatever the case may be, everyone knew what, or rather, who this creature was. It was the Lone Wanderer. Three years ago, he was a kid straight from a vault, searching for his father. However, in his wake, death seemed to travel for all those who stood in his way, a theme that increased exponentially as time moved on. Now, he was standing in the cafeteria of a hospital in downtown DC, Super Mutant bodies surrounded him as he made his way to the stairs on the opposite side of the room. He had just absolutely obliterated his way through the hospital and adjacent hotel, carving his way through to rescue a group of people. Mercs, to be exact. Reilly's Rangers. Supposedly the best trained Mercenaries this side of the country.He had agreed to get them out of a jam after meeting Reilly herself. While he was mostly a stoic and non-emotional individual, the fiery redhead had somehow brought a strange feeling into play. Something he hadn't felt for a very, very long time. She practically begged for his help, and he had a code to uphold; Sacrifice anything and everything, whatever the cost to himself or those outside the Capital Wasteland, to help those in need and help the Capital Wasteland rebuild. She had known who he was, of course. The duster, the face mask, the way he carried himself. His eyes. That's how she knew for sure. Icy blue eyes, able to take in more with a single glance than anyone else could with minutes worth of surveying. Eyes that almost seemed to be older than time itself. Eyes that said: "I've seen more than you ever will"Her eyes, however, were green. They seemed to dance with emotion and looked positively stunning when she smiled after he had agreed to rescue her comrades. He remembered the spark he felt when they shook on it. Everything about her seemed to put him at ease, or at least made him less feral. He knew that it wasn't a good thing, what he didn't know was if it was an objectively bad thing. She had stirred up feelings that he thought were long dead. And for the moments he allowed himself to think about her, he felt.. Happy. At peace, even.That feeling of peace came crashing down as soon as he was about to round the corner on the roof, hearing gunfire. Steeling himself once more, he readied his suppressed rifle and pushed forward. One glance was all he needed. Six mutants. One Overlord. Three Sledgehammers, two hunting rifles, one R91 Assault Rifle. With a slight, yet very intentional movement of his lower three fingers holding the grip of Suppressed R91 Assault Rifle, he felt a familiar sensation hit him. Just like that for a few split seconds, time slowed down to a crawl. Targeting the Overlord first, he put two rounds each into the back of the kneecaps, crippling its movements and ensuring that it won't hit anything it fires at. Switching targets quickly, he puts three rounds into the heads of each of the sledgehammer-wielding mutants, effectively ending their charge. With a few moments left, he fires at the buttstocks of the hunting rifles, knocking them out of the Super Mutant's grasp.Time rushed forward as the feeling of VATS left him. The Overlord with the perforated kneecaps wails as it tries to turn around to shoot at the interloper, however the Lone Wanderer is quicker, unsheathing his Kukri and burying it into the head of the mutant, stopping it mid-turn. As he yanks the blade out of the mutant, he becomes acutely aware of several eyes on him. He turns to face what he assumed were the Rangers. Pulling his face mask down as he approached, he takes something attached to his back and tosses it at their feet. A fission battery. Just what they needed to get the elevator working. One of the Rangers approaches the Wanderer and extends a hand, along with a question."I take it you're our backup?" He asked, though it was really more of a statement than a question.Michael grasped the extended hand firmly, being careful not to crush it. "Yeah. Let's get you guys out of here."
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Michael’s Rangers
Chapter I: Ashes to Ashes
Making their way through downtown DC, Michael and the rescued Rangers kept a slow pace, knowing that area in particular to be heavily infested with Mutants. The six surviving Rangers were in a wedge formation as they made their way down the street. Miles and Kilo, the Scout Snipers as Michael was informed, took up the rear on each side. Brick and Theo were one rank up, while Donovan and Butcher kept behind the Wanderer, who was on point. Before leaving the lobby, Donovan informed Michael that they were about to finish up mapping downtown DC when they came under heavy fire and were driven all the way up to the roof. A Super Mutant ambush, which was a rarity.Michael came to find out that almost all the Rangers, sans Theo, were former Brotherhood. Apparently, they had left some time after the split between Lyon's Brotherhood and the Outcasts took place. Reilly and Butcher decided to stay with Lyons, while Donovan and Brick went with the Outcasts. Only after a few months did Reilly decide to leave the Brotherhood, with Butcher following in her footsteps, and as soon as Donovan and Brick got wind of what they had planned to do, they followed suit. Miles and Kilo found their way into the group shortly after, Miles from the Outcasts and Kilo from the Citadel. Theo was a new recruit, their first non-Brotherhood prospect.Suddenly, Michael held up a fist, signaling them to cease the chatter, ready their weapons, and hold position. Being the sort of Apex Predator he was, Michael wasn't acclimated to traveling in groups, and as tensions seemed to rise, he was sure he was about to lead them into another ambush. Seconds later the fighting broke out. Butcher was hit. Michael yelled for the Rangers to get to cover while he dragged Butcher behind a nearby building by the back of his collar. The Rangers were returning fire, but they couldn't see what exactly they were firing at.Checking Donovan over, he saw where he was hit before he could find a pulse. Straight through the heart. The round had gone straight through. Butcher's eyes were open and glossy. He was dead. The predator felt a familiar feeling building up in his system; pure, unbridled rage. Miles had just made his way over to his location when the Wanderer stood up. Before he could ask about Butcher's condition, he witnessed something almost magical.The Wanderer vanished into thin air.Talon Mercs. Presumably assigned to kill the Rangers. Unfortunately for them, their most hated, most feared enemy was with them at the time of the ambush. Their squad leader, a man who went by the name Blackjack, had set up this ambush days ago, knowing the route they'd have to take back to their base. He had been the one to pull the trigger that ignited this firefight. That's why he was the first of the Talon Mercs to die. Without warning, his neck had opened up and blood poured out onto his blackened armor. Too busy firing at the Rangers, none of the other eight Talon Mercs positioned on the bridge noticed as he slumped over the railing.Looking through the scopes of their rifles, Miles and Kilo witnessed what could only be called a blood bath. One by one, the Talon Mercs were chopped, sliced, stabbed, and slashed. Once they had begun to notice something was wrong on their end it was already too late. Michael was careful enough to leave one survivor, his rifle kicked away and the bones in his hands crushed. He couldn't run from this demon because, in the flurry of blades, his Achilles tendons were slashed. He watched as the Wanderer dispatched his last living comrade, an extremely large, curved forward knife slammed into their gut and twisted. As Miles and the other Rangers made their way onto the overpass, they witnessed the Wanderer, despite the Talon Merc's screams, hang the Merc over the railing as he used his infamous Railway Rifle to essentially crucify their assailant onto the bridge."Butcher is dead" Miles said, approaching the Wanderer slowly, not knowing if this creature's bloodlust has been sated. "We've gotta get him back to HQ. Have a proper burial""He was my responsibility. I'll carry him" Michael said, moving to get off the overpass as the Talon Merc screamed for mercy. "Their contract was to take out the Rangers. Didn't know I'd be here. They set up the ambush, both times. Whoever ordered the hit on your group wanted to stay in the shadows. This one didn't know anything."Michael showed a kind of gentleness the Rangers thought him impossible of having as he picked up Butcher's body. "Miles, you're on point. No more chatter. After we get to your HQ, I'll go and escort Reilly home."Reilly wasn't taking Butcher's death well. The news of his demise coupled with her less than stellar current physical and mental condition was simply too much for her to bear. First, it was shock. Then came the tears. Michael wasn't equipped to handle a situation such as this. While he had seen people cry before, they hadn't been Reilly. For some reason, when she cried, Michael wished that he were able to comfort her. That her tears would stop falling. When the panic attack set in, however, Michael did know what to do. Reilly fell to the floor, having lost all strength in her limbs as well as having trouble breathing. Immediately Michael was there."Look at me," he said, tilting her chin up so their eyes could meet. "Tell me what's happening."Unable to form coherent words, Michael pressed on. "I'm going to check your pulse," After locating her pulse, he checks the watch on his PiP-Boy. Her heart rate was incredibly high."I'm going to ask you some questions. I need you to answer them all as best you can." He says, looking back up at her."Where are you right now? Are you having trouble breathing? Can you hear me?"Taking a deep breath and shaking her head slightly, Reilly answers the questions one by one, as calmly as possible."I'm in the Underworld's clinic. Yes, and obviously yes" she says, her entire body shaking. "Are you a doctor or something?" She asks."No" He says, looking back down to check the time "My father was. I learned a few things from him and a lot of things taking care of myself out here"Lightly holding her shoulder against the wall so she could breathe more easily, he continues "It's not your fault. It's not your fault. You did all you could. You saved everyone else."Able to breathe again, her body begins to loosen up. Her hands have gotten a loose grip onto the Wanderer's duster as she's cried.Seeing that she's not going to recover from this very quickly, Michael sits down beside her, back against the wall, and pulls her close to him. Warmth and physical comfort is all he can provide now, and he decides that's exactly what he'll do for as long as it takes.Michael and Reilly stayed in the Ghoul community for three days. He had rented a bed for himself at Carol's Place and spent almost every waking hour with Reilly. If she slept during the day, he'd sit beside the medical bed in a chair. He'd make sure she ate and drank as much as necessary. On the rare occasion they spoke to each other for more than two minutes, it was about the other Rangers, usually Butcher.Carl, Butcher's birth name, and Reilly had been together since childhood. She and Butcher were as close as two people could be without being in a committed relationship. Reilly had said she was planning to talk to him about that after their mission, but then they were ambushed. Butcher was, as he had admitted openly, the worst fighter of the bunch. But he had medical training, and that was worth his weight in gold when it came to doing what they do. He had apparently gotten his name from Brick after patching her up after a firefight with some super mutants while they were in the Brotherhood.Time passed slowly while in Underworld. Eventually Doctor Barrows cleared Reilly to leave, and with some coaxing from Michael, they made their way out into the Capital Wasteland. In a group of two, it didn't take long to get to the Rangers HQ. Their only hostile encounter being a stray molerat that happened to pop its head out of a manhole they were approaching. Entering the courtyard, Michael and Reilly's pace slowed to a crawl. Reilly, being unsure if she could go back to leading the Rangers. Michael, not knowing what he'd do after he left. Just outside the door, they stopped. Reilly voiced her concern."I don't think I can go in there. I let them down. I let them all down. I got Carl killed. It's all my fau-" Michael cut her off by pressing a gloved hand over her mouth gently.Removing his hand, he spoke "Stop. You didn't get them killed. That's on me. I should've been more alert. Butcher's blood is on my hands. You went above and beyond for all of them. I've heard the way they talk about you. You're this lot's best and only hope for making it out here."Just like that, with the way the Wanderer spoke, her doubts vanished. She knew she could lead. What she also knew, however, is that she couldn't do it alone. Butcher had been her second-in-command for the longest time. She needed someone else to help ease her worries. Someone capable. Someone who could inspire. She needed the Wanderer. She felt slightly guilty, not because she was filling the gap, but because she had begun to have feelings for the Wanderer. Just as she was going to ask him to join her in the Rangers as an equal partner, the door opened. A blank-faced Miles was stopped dead in the doorway. For a moment his brain failed to register the two people in front of him.Eventually his synapses fired. "Hey, you're back!" He said, going to embrace Reilly. Reilly, overwhelmed with many different feelings, hugged him back. She was so happy that he was alive and filled with sorrow due to Butcher's death. Michael stood stock still, feeling awkward as an outsider to the group. Detaching from Miles, Reilly corrected that situation immediately."Come on in. You've done a lot for us and we've got a few things to give you." She says, taking him by the hand and pulling him inside, not giving him much of a choice in the matter. Miles looked on with a raised eyebrow but said nothing.
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Michael’s Rangers
Chapter II: Long Night of Solace
"I can't." The Wanderer said, brushing off the request. "I have too much to do. I travel around too much and, as you've seen, I'm only myself when traveling alone."Reilly winced at his comment. Though she was mostly recovered from the news of Butcher's death, it still hurt to be reminded of it. She had asked him to attend the funeral and stay for dinner with the rest of the Rangers. Unbeknownst to her, he normally wouldn't have done so, but she had a strange effect on him. Now they stood in the hallway leading towards the only entrance and exit in the entire building."We just lost our second in command. I'm in no shape to lead by myself, and none of the others are interested in leading." She countered, trying to get him to concede to her request."I'm no leader. I can barely follow orders, much less give them out."In all honesty, Michael wanted to accept her offer. He knew that day after day out alone in the Wasteland was changing him, and not necessarily for the better. A year ago, he could at least relax in his own home in Megaton. He could talk to people. Now he was always jumpy, his 'fight or flight' response constantly on. He was beginning to see people less as individuals and more as either a liability or an enemy.Reilly sighed, half exhausted from their trek to the bunker and half irritated that the supposed Wasteland Messiah was refusing her request. "You're the Lone freakin' Wanderer. A big time Wasteland hero. You're saying this is something you can't do?"Suddenly, Reilly was reminded who it was she was talking to. With the low light, his build and duster, along with their very obvious height difference, he loomed over her, staring directly into her eyes. His icy blue eyes could be seen clear as day despite the darkness. She let out a small gasp as they seemed to pierce her very soul."There's a reason I'm good at what I do: It's because I've done it a lot, and I've done it alone. Like it or not, in the situations that are forced upon me you and your group would only be a liability." He said evenly, though rage could be seen clearly in his eyes.Unable to hold his gaze longer, her eyes dropped to the floor. Suddenly she could breathe again. What was that? The question screamed in her mind. She had spoken with him before. She had seen his eyes before. In an instant he changed. His demeanor, his eyes, even the way he spoke. Her heart pounded in her chest as her mind tried to process what just took place.Michael, however, became both angry and surprised at himself. Angry because he lashed out at Reilly when she didn't really deserve it, and surprise at the anger. Why was he angry at himself over something like that? "I'm sorry." Why did he just apologize? His mind swam with questions as his mouth continued to move. "That was uncalled for."Still having a hard time catching her breath, her chest heaved with every word she spoke "What.. What was that?" She asked, placing a hand on the cold metal wall to keep herself from falling over. She couldn't meet his gaze, too afraid of what might happen if she did."That's hard to explain. Sometimes if you're out in the Wasteland long enough, you'll become a bit less you, and a bit more.. Animal, I guess. Feral. Another reason why I can't help you lead. Why I can't do groups. Next time you happen to see Gallows, ask him. He might be able to explain it better." He turned towards the door, but a hand grabbed his wrist as it approached the door knob."Don't.. Don't leave."It wasn't an order. It was barely a request. Her slender frame trembled, partly due to the cold, partly due to the idea of the person who saved both her and her Rangers leaving. His hand fell to his side and her hand returned to her chest. For a long time, they both stood there silently. He was thinking over her request. If he left now, he could make it to Fort Bannister by early morning to once and for all rid the Capital Wasteland of Talon Mercenaries. It was a noble quest. Talon Mercenaries, while not initially evil, had devolved into a pack of wild, rabid dogs. Dogs that needed to be put down. On the other hand, he could stay. Make sure Reilly was okay. Okay? No, that's not why you want to stay. You know why you want to stay. You know why you can't.Michael was torn. While he saw other people as liabilities, he himself was a target for all kinds of trouble. Michael opened his mouth to speak to tell her that he couldn't stay, but no words came out. Instead, at that moment he felt her press up against his back as her slender arms wrapped around his front. He couldn't feel it, but the back of his duster was getting a bit wet where her face pressed, her tears being soaked up by the worn leather. He placed a hand onto her own. A gentle voice escaped his throat;"Alright. I can stay for a bit."Michael stayed with the Rangers for three days before anyone said anything. Brick's patience clearly needed work though, as she was the first to confront both he and Reilly about him staying for so long."What is he even doing here? Shouldn't he be out saving some helpless kittens in a tree or something?" She said in an exasperated voice, waving her hands all over the place. Clearly, she wasn't happy about him being there. Reilly however came to his, and in turn her own defense."You saw what happened. Right now I'm not fit to take you all back out there. I asked him to stay because he's the best chance we have should Talon come after us again."Brick wasn't convinced. She never bought into the tales of the 'Lone Wanderer' and thus she thought him nothing special. "I don't buy the bullshit Three Dog spews on the radio. He's just a man, Reilly. No different than any of us, other than his stroked ego."Surprisingly, the normally silent Miles had decided to speak up at that moment "You were too busy blindly firing at those Talon Mercs on that bridge to see what I saw, Brick. He's not like us."Brick was going to retort before Kilo, Miles' partner, made her opinion known from the corner of the room "You remember Gallows? Imagine him, now take away the power armor and throw in a few dozen more years of experience. That's what this guy here is like." She finished, hiking a thumb pointing towards the Wanderer.Brick turned on the Wanderer, outraged that her long-time companions had turned on her. He hadn't met her gaze, choosing instead to focus on something on his PiP-Boy. He was equally unfazed when she slammed her hands down onto the table. "That's it. You and me, Wanderer. We're going to go outside and spar a few rounds. I'll show these guys you're only smoke and mirrors."Instead of looking at Brick, Michael chose to look at Reilly with a raised eyebrow, as if asking if she was going to allow this to happen. Her shrug told him everything he needed to know. Standing up, he made his way towards the exit, a single word escaping his lips. "Fine."It wasn't long before they were in the courtyard, Reilly and the other rangers standing in a semi-circle around the two would-be combatants. Reilly listed off the rules of the spar, mostly looking at Michael the entire time. Brick was infuriated even further when the Wanderer seemed to refuse to look at her, paying attention only to Reilly."Alright. This is going to be a clean spar. No killing, no maiming, no crippling blows of any kind. No weapons, hidden or otherwise. Got it?""Got it." Brick stated, already deciding she had won while positioning herself into the Brotherhood's signature hand-to-hand combat style. Michael, however, stood stock still, slowly looking away from Reilly towards Brick."Begin." Reilly said, somewhat eager herself to see what the fuss was about, not having witnessed the Wanderer fight before.As the words left Reilly's mouth, the Wanderer's eyes met Brick's. Like three days prior, Brick experienced something very similar to what Reilly had. Her throat dried up, her heart sped up, and she was unable to either move or breathe. His eyes pierced her very soul and seemed to tear her up from the inside out. She didn't even notice he was slowly walking towards her until he was towering over her, slamming her to the ground mercilessly.To the onlookers, it had seemed that Brick had frozen up. As if her brain had somehow shut down. All but Reilly were confused as to what had happened. She knew what happened. He did that thing. They watched as he effortlessly slammed her into the ground, stood up straight, and began walking away.Brick's mind started working properly again. She didn't understand what he had done other than slam her into the ground. Her entire body felt like she had just gone six rounds against someone with power armor on. But Brick was defiant, picking herself up while shouting to her opponent. "Hey dickhead, we're not done yet. I don't know what you did, but that's not going to happen ag-"She couldn't finish her sentence as he was on her again, having closed the substantial gap between them in the blink of an eye. Before she could register that, his fist had taken purchase in her solar plexus, lifting her off the ground by a few inches and forcing her to double over. Ever the hothead, she took a jab at his side, aiming for his kidney. The attack was all for naught however, as she felt her body continue lifting up into the air, over him, and then back down. Her back impacted the ground so hard she once more lost the ability to breathe for a few short seconds.The Rangers watching the 'fight' were stunned. They didn't even see him move from other side of the makeshift arena before Brick was once again incapacitated. Brick, for her part, was absolutely humiliated as well as enraged even further. She didn't understand what had just taken place, but she did know this man, the Lone Wanderer, wasn't human. Acting without much forethought, she struggled to lift herself up, brandishing a hidden blade taken from one of the many pockets in her armor. Before Reilly or any of the other Rangers could see the blade, she was on him, the blackened steel glinting dangerously in the sun, poised to strike at the top of his skull. To her and everyone else's surprise, however, he vanished as the blade was brought down onto the space his head used to occupy.Miles and Kilo could make out a faint shimmer before his assault began. To the others, however, she was being hit by nothing. Her body jerked and convulsed as she felt the strength of a power armor augmented power fist slam into her body over and over. Her kidneys, liver, solar plexus, stomach, and finally her head. With each hit, another shimmer was caught by both Miles and Kilo due to the angle of their observation.The Wanderer appeared suddenly, wrenching the knife out of her grasp as she choked on what supposedly was her own blood. The other Rangers watched as he examined the knife for a moment, wondering if he would end her life for her transgression, before he threw the knife at an unoccupied wall, the knife burying four inches into the concrete. As Reilly and the others approached, Michael crouched down to Brick.Reilly watched in amazement as he began to administer first aid to the person who had just tried to kill him. Michael injected some Med-X into her leg as he checked her pulse. Brick was unable to protest these actions even if she wished to, her body bruised and, along with her spirit, broken. Rightly, everyone observing the spectacle had a hard time coming to terms with the fact that the person helping Brick was the same one who just absolutely dominated her in the fighting ring. Looking up to Reilly, the Wanderer spoke "Get her to the sick bay. A few rounds of Stimpaks and a week of rest and she'll be fine."After watching what the Wanderer was capable of, nobody else had dared question Reilly's decision to keep him around for a while. Reilly had considered punishing Brick for the attempted murder of the most Famous, or infamous person in Wasteland, but Michael had convinced her that he punished her enough. Now she was visiting Brick in the sick bay while Michael was busy keeping watch over the bunker."You have to send him away, Reilly. He's not normal. I don't even think he's human." Brick said fiercely despite how he had treated her after she was done fighting him."Brick, I'm not going to do that. You can't expect someone like him to be all that normal anyways. You attacked him with deadly force. I don't think even Donovan would have spoken up had he decided to repay you in kind." Reilly said, clearly angry at Brick.Brick was furious. She couldn't believe that the Wanderer had ingratiated himself so well in such little time to her leader. "He doesn't belong here, Reilly. He's a danger to us all."Astounded, Reilly leaned back "Brick, you were the one who tried to kill him. If anything, you're the one who is out of control." Deciding she'd settle this at a later date, she stood up to leave. When she turned around, however, she stopped at what Brick said next."What has he done to you, Reilly? Why are you so sweet on him? You.. You're not in love with him, are you?"Reilly spun back around, opening her mouth to deny it. She hesitated, though, and that's all Brick needed."... That's it, isn't it? You're in love with him. With that freak. Even so soon after losing Butcher."Stunned, the redhead retaliated against Brick's verbal assault. "Now you listen here, Shari" she said, seething "We all lost Carl. He was as important to me as he was to you, if not more so. Don't you fucking dare insinuate I didn't care about him."Unbeknownst to them, Michael was around the corner, leaning against the wall. He had something urgent to tell Reilly, but the conversation piqued his interest.Reilly continued her speech "I loved Carl. Every single Ranger knew that, especially you. The same can be said for the fact that he didn't feel the same about me. He's gone now, Brick. We have to move on. Michael showed me that."This caused Brick to reel back, not knowing the Wanderer's name. "It's Michael now, is it? You are. You're wrapped around his fucking finger and you know it."Reilly put her fist onto the wall beside her, bloodying her knuckles. "Shut up. What I decide to do in my personal time, with my own life is none of your god damn business. You don't like it? Too fucking bad. You have two options; Never mention this again, or leave your armor at the door and leave."Her eyes downcast, she went on "Maybe I do care about him. Maybe I am in love with him. I don't know. All I know is I feel safe with him around. And safety is something we need if Talon is after us."Michael chose that moment to make himself known, coming around the corner causing Reilly to look at him with wide eyes, wondering if he heard everything she had said "Sorry to interrupt, but you need to get your Rangers up and moving. We've got Talon Company a few blocks out. Six fireteams of eight. Missile Launchers, Flamers, Fat Mans, the works."The previous conversation forgotten, Brick's eyes bulged. "Jesus.. They're loaded for Deathclaw."The Wanderer pulled a somewhat strange, heavy looking from his back. Pulling the charging handle, he spoke “No. They're loaded for me."The Rangers had set up a defensive position in their compound. Miles and Kilo were in the windows of buildings on opposite sides, providing overwatch. Brick, still somewhat hampered by her injuries, was set up at the only entrance to the complex, her Minigun full of rounds to send at any would-be trespassers. Donovan was in the bunker, working to put the finishing touches on his newest project while Reilly was stationed with Brick, armed with an odd rifle lent to her by the Wanderer. Where he carried all those weapons he carried, she'd never know.The Wanderer had decided to go back out and scout the area to see where they were at. He knew that the Missile Launchers and Fat Mans that they had brought would be worthless if the Rangers didn't come out of their compound, due to the back-blast of the launchers and the arc of the Fat Mans. The Flamers were a different story. The Rangers would be in serious trouble if the Talon Mercs got anywhere near the compound with those.There were 48 Mercs in total. That was quite a few, even for him. Strategies flashed through his mind as he tried to figure out how to keep the Rangers alive. He knew that he could make it out of there, and he knew that he could probably take on the Talon Mercs if it were just him, but he had to think about how to keep other people near him alive; Something he wasn't used to doing.Time was running short as they advanced, so he chose quickly. He quickly jogged a few blocks away and set up in a building facing the street the Talon Mercs were coming from. About three blocks forward was the only cover they'd have, and that was the Ranger Compound. Michael set up one of his signature weapons, something called a Barret M107. .50 Cal rounds. Deploying the bipod on the end of the rifle quickly, he zeroed the scope on top of the large rifle. Steadying his breathing, he took aim and fired.The first round impacted the tank of a Flamer one of the front-line Mercs were carrying. It ruptured, the pressurized tank spewing the extremely flammable gel onto all the nearby mercs. Firing again, the Wanderer ignited the flames. The Talon mercs screamed in both pain and confusion. As the sticky flames ate away at the skin of some of the mercs, they began to fan out, not sure where they were being shot from. Two more shots rang out, hitting a Mini-Nuke in one of the Fat Mans towards the back of the group, causing a large explosion.'Seven down..' The Wanderer thought to himself as he fired again.The Rangers heard the chaos outside. Explosions, screams, and gunfire. Reilly took a deep breath, silently hoping that the Wanderer wasn't in trouble.Miles and Kilo looked to each other once as they heard the explosion. Both nodding, they went back to looking through their scopes.Over the edge of one of the buildings, the sun could be seen going down. It was going to be a long night.Michael fired once more before leaving his sniping perch. He was out of rounds. Sixteen dead or dying mercs littered the street his building was overlooking. Moving down the stairs, he brandished another rifle, this one much smaller. A weapon from The Pitt, sleek black, suppressor, scope, and a folding stock. After moving up without being seen thanks to the Stealth-Boy function on his PiP-Boy, he took aim once more and began firing. Three round groupings, headshots. One by one the Talon Mercs watched as their comrades fell without so much as a single shot being heard.The man in charge, a man known as Sgt. Pepper, lead the troops into what he could only assume was their only safe haven. How wrong he was. As troops began to quickly file into the narrow alley, fire from a Minigun tore his troops to shreds. He cursed, knowing that this would be his grave. He didn't want to go after the Lone Wanderer, and he knew that he would probably die doing it, but Jabasco would make sure he'd die if he didn't. Thirty two men down in minutes. He made an executive decision."Stop firing, you idiots! Stop!"His yells could be heard by both the Rangers and the Wanderer. The Wanderer watched through his scope as he yanked the rifle out of nearby Talon Merc's hands. When the younger Merc took a swing at the older one, he allowed himself to let out a small snicker as the young merc was laid out by the buttstock of his own rifle.Tossing the rifle down to the ground, he slowly raised his hands, knowing the Wanderer could end him at any second. He spoke "Look, I only took this job because if I didn't Jabasco would kill me. I don't want to die. I enjoy living. I want to go home tonight." Sgt. Pepper was sweating, and his mouth was dry. He didn't want to die, but he also didn't want his men to die. "But so do my guys. I was the one who put this lot together. You let them go, they swear to leave Talon Company forever. I'll stay in their place."When nothing was heard in return, the recruit who had just been knocked down made a move for his sidearm. He quickly pulled it out and got behind Sgt. Pepper, putting the cold metal against his head. "What're ya doin', Sarge? Don't answer, I'll tell ya. You's is betraying Talon Company. I ein't gonna let that slide." Before he could fully squeeze the trigger, however, a shot rang out and Sgt. Pepper felt what he assumed was brain matter splatter against the back of his head.The other Talon Mercs stood stock still as they realized the Wanderer was now in the middle of them, having seemingly materialized out of thin air. They saw in his hand a large, odd-shaped revolver pointing at where one of their comrade's head used to be, now on the ground leaking out both blood and brain matter. Two other mercs thought it would now be a good idea, since they could see him, to raise their sidearms. They didn't even get their fingers on the triggers before they were also dead on the ground.Coming to his senses, Sgt. Pepper spoke, not daring to move "Alright. Them boys were stupid, stupid people. But as you can see, nobody else here wants to die today." The Wanderer stood still, his RSH-12 revolver pointed at the last few surviving Talon Mercs, while in his other hand was a Colt 1911, pointed to the head of Sgt. Pepper.After a few minutes of silence, Michael spoke, looking at the younger mercs "If any of you go back to Talon Company, I'll know. I'll hunt you down and make you watch as I carve the flesh off of everyone you care about with a rusty, flaming lawnmower blade. Do you understand?" The mercs didn't speak, instead opting to nod their heads quickly, his message loud and clear. Unbeknownst to them all, the Rangers were watching."Good." Moving his 1911, he put one round in one leg of each of the younger mercs, causing them to cry out. "If Talon comes asking you to come back, your limp should show you're no longer capable of being a merc." Sgt. Pepper winced, but it was really for the best. The other Talon Mercs hobbled away, not daring to look back.Brick took this moment to make the Rangers' presence known. "You're letting them go?"If the Wanderer was surprised, he didn't show it. He didn't even acknowledge her presence. "Reilly" He called. Reilly quickly came to his side."Turn around. Slowly." He commanded Sgt. Pepper. The old merc did what he was told, not wishing to upset the man who just took down an entire platoon of well-armed and well-trained mercs. Michael met Pepper's gaze from under his hood. "What's your name?""Joseph. Joseph Pepper" The old merc struggled to speak, the Wanderer's presence weighing incredibly heavily on him suddenly. The Sergeant could tell that the Wanderer was considering his options.Surprisingly, he watched as the Wanderer turned his head to look at Reilly. "You need any intel on Talon Company?"Reilly looked at the Sergeant. She sized him up before making a decision that would forever change Sgt. Pepper's life. "Yeah, but we also need a new Quartermaster. He's it, after a probationary period." The Wanderer raised an eyebrow but said nothing about her decision.Pepper looked at Reilly in amazement. He was sure he was going to die tonight, but now he was going to live, and better yet, he was going to have a better way of making a living? The thought came crashing down, however, when Brick spoke up. "Oh come the fuck on. We're letting Talon mercs in now? He's probably just going to kill us in our sleep." Michael decided at that time to level a glare at Brick, promptly making her shut up."Alright people, let's get inside. Kilo, you're on watch." Reilly ordered. Indeed, it was going to be a long night.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Michael’s Rangers
Chapter III: Intimacy
It had been two days since Talon Company's assault on the Ranger Compound before Sgt. Pepper was cleared to walk about freely. The Lone Wanderer had insisted that he be the one to 'extract' the information from him. With little more than a nod from Reilly the Wanderer had taken the old merc into the storage room. Nobody, not even Brick had dared to enter to see what was going on.For her part, Brick had been a little shaken up. Not because of her 'spar' with the Wanderer, but because of just how many bodies littered the street that night. Dozens of well-trained, well-armed mercs cut down by a single man. She couldn't make sense of it. No single person should be able to do that, and yet the Wanderer had gotten away with it without a single scratch. She wasn't sure if she should thank him or run away from him. In fact, the only thing she was sure of was that the Lone Wanderer was a monster in human disguise.Miles and Kilo had been more talkative since that night, though only with each other. They had suspected that the Wanderer was good, but prior to that night they had attributed it to pure luck. Now they knew exactly why he was so feared: He didn't fight fair. His tactics, his weapons, his ability to seemingly disappear before the naked eye. It all screamed 'unfair' in their minds. Then there was his seemingly unbearable presence that could come and go as easy as a cool breeze.Donovan and Reilly shared the same opinion on the Wanderer, that he could turn out to be the greatest asset the Rangers have, the worst enemy they could have, or he could simply do to them what he's done to so many others. He could disappear from their lives one day without any trace as to where he's gone off to. Unknown to the Mechanic, Reilly had hoped he wouldn't do that. Only time would tell what the Wanderer would decide to do."So what, we're just going to let a Talon Merc walk around here now?"A sigh escaped Reilly as she pinched the bridge of her nose. She was really getting tired of having to defuse any situation Brick was in."After two days alone with him," the redhead paused, hiking a thumb in the Wanderer's direction "you still think that Pepper is planning on hurting us?"The Wanderer observed the conversation from a dark corner of the room with a raised eyebrow in mild interest. He had interrogated the old Sergeant and had come to find that not only did Pepper not intend to hurt the Rangers, he didn't agree with the way things were being operated in Talon Company. Jabasco had lead a coup against the previous leader and shortly after taking the position himself turned into a vengeful, merciless monster.His thoughts were interrupted as Brick stormed off, slamming the door to the Command and Control room behind her. He glanced over to Pepper to see his head in his hands, likely suffering from fatigue from being kept awake for two days.Reilly approached Pepper and dropped something metallic on the table beside him. Looking up, the saw it was a bad of about 150 caps. "That's your signing bonus" she said as he looked at the bag "You can take it and work for us, or you can go out and find another way to make a living." As his eyes met hers, she noticed how tired he looked."I don't suggest going back to Talon Company. They're officially on our shit list now, and our.. acquaintance here is about to get a job offer." She finished, looking to Michael. His hood and lower-face mask were both up, so she couldn't see his eyes nor his raised eyebrow.She tossed a large bag of caps his way, not knowing if he was paying attention. She was slightly startled when his hand quickly snatched it out of the air. "That's your signing bonus if you stay on with us. If not, that's your reward for helping us with all of this." She watched as Michael weighed the bag in his hand."We're going after Talon Company once we get our shit together. I was hoping you'd be joining us for that." The redhead shifted her weight to her back leg, awaiting his answer.His hooded head slowly rotated in her direction "I was planning on doing that myself in a few days’ time. If you're going to participate that'll change a few things for my plan. Possibly in my favor."She nodded her head and looked back to Pepper, clearly expecting an answer. Pepper was exhausted, mentally and physically. He still had friends in Talon, friends who felt the same as him about Jabasco. "There's something you need to know if you're gonna do this. A lot of the guys I know don't agree with Jabasco. Good men, just trying to make a living. If you let me, I can get them with you. With us." He finished, picking up the bag of caps. Reilly looked to Michael for confirmation.The Wanderer, knowing that after what he put Pepper through the old merc wouldn't dare double-cross him, nodded. "Fine. Hit the rack, get some sleep. Once you're up we can go over the plan." The grizzled old man grunted, quickly leaving the Command room. Clearly, he was eager to get some sleep.After a few short minutes of standing alone in silence, the Wanderer left the room. Reilly cursed under her breath and left to follow, leaving a bewildered Donovan as he tinkered with his pet project.Reilly was stealthy as she followed him outside, making as little noise as possible. A former Brotherhood Scout, through and through. Unfortunately, the Wanderer was better than that. When she opened the door to the outside, he was gone. She cursed again as she walked out into the 'yard' of the compound, eyes scanning the area. Behind her, the Wanderer leaned against the door she had just exited. "Looking for someone?"Reilly made a high-pitched sound as she jumped, clearly startled. She quickly recovered and swung around on her heel, glaring at the Wanderer. Gone was his hood and mask, instead a smirk was placed on his face. She marched up to him and put her finger on his chest "You will tell no-one about what just happened. I don't care if you are a ghost, I'll pummel you into the dirt if you do."The Wanderer's smirk only grew as she spoke. "You sure you can beat up a ghost?" he asked, engaging the Stealth-Boy function with little more than a very small, very deliberate movement of his fingers. Her mouth opened and her eyes went wide as he disappeared before her very eyes. Testing him, she swung a fist at where his head was moments before only to hit nothing but air. She heard a chuckle behind her "Now that wouldn't have been very polite"She turned on her heel once again and planted a foot in the direction of the voice, once again only to hit air. There was no malice in the attack, though. A smirk was clearly seen on her face, and her green eyes screamed of mischief. "You want to play, huh?" A disembodied voice echoed around her as she kept her head on a swivel. The rising sun could be seen cresting the building to her east, light shining onto her face, blinding her momentarily.Before her eyes could adjust, she felt her legs being swept out from under her. No strike followed, however. Picking herself up, she once more got into her signature fighting position. "Awfully confident, aren't you? You should know something like that won't deter me." she said, voice full of mirth.A voice echoed throughout the courtyard, preventing her from pinpointing his position. "If I'm over-confident, you're downright cocky."A slight shifting of the dirt a few feet to her left could be seen, and that's all she needed. She spun around, sending a high roundhouse kick to what she assumed was his location, only to have the kick caught by an invisible force. In a single, swift move she was planted on her back again. She groaned as she picked herself back up, her backside sore from hitting the dirt and rocks so hard."Well this isn't quite fair. I can't see you." she said, dropping back into her stance."Oh, you know me.." his voice echoed once more "... I don't fight fair"Her eyes widened as she swung around, the voice having been directly next to her ear. Her elbow made contact with something, but just as quickly her arm was twisted behind her in a light hold. Her other elbow went back with tremendous force and speed in an attempt to hit him, but that was also caught. Now she stood, slightly bent backwards as he held her arms. Suddenly, she was released and pushed forward, stumbling slightly. She turned around and saw he was once again visible. She watched as he dropped into a fighting stance of his own.For a minute, neither combatant moved nor spoke. Their eyes were locked, her green eyes shining in the sun, still full of mischief. His icy blue eyes seemed to glow from the shade of the building behind him. Her tell was small and he wouldn't have noticed it had he not been 'The Lone Wanderer' as she shot forward, a flurry of kicks, elbows, and punches heading towards him. Unfortunately for her, he was 'The Lone Wanderer' and he had seen the tell. A slight twitch of her left hand. As each strike came for him, he batted it away, redirecting the force and energy of the attacks.She had noticed he hadn't actually thrown a punch, elbow, or kick the entire fight. All he was doing was blocking her attacks, even as they moved up the staircase of the building across from the Ranger Headquarters. Reaching the top floor, she tried to change that, falling out of her stance and throwing a kick straight forward, aimed at him stomach. To her surprise, he caught the foot in his hand. A second later and she was on her back again, a forearm across her neck which was also pinning both of her arms to her chest, one of his legs pinning one of hers, the hand that caught her foot now wrapped under the knee of her once-outstretched leg. His free leg between hers, pressing right against her crotch. She shifted slightly under him and her voice hitched in her throat, clearly feeling where his leg, specifically where his knee was. If he noticed he didn't show it as his eyes peered into hers, a very vibrant smile plastered onto his rugged face which was inches away from hers. An equally large on her face smirk mirrored his. "Being awfully forward, aren't you?""You started it."He had anticipated six different ways she could've gotten out of the current hold he had on her. Six different movements. None of them involved her head. That's why she was able to surprise him as her head moved upward, her lips landing on his. For a short moment he didn't respond, she had feared that she had just ruined everything. Then, his head shifted slightly, and her kiss was met with a positive response.Breaking the kiss, he took a breath and began to speak "We really shouldn't do th-"Reilly knew what he was going to say, and she wouldn't have it. Not today. Not now. She cut him off, her lips striking his ferociously, her tongue probing, ask if asking for permission. The last bits of his self-control began to crumble away as his tongue met hers.Prehaps it was his own deep-seated desires coming to light after having gone so long without any kind of non-violent physical contact. Maybe it was what she did to him, bringing out a side of him that he thought long dead. Whatever it was, Michael forgot all about why he shouldn't be doing this when Reilly's hips began rocking slowly, rubbing herself with his knee that had yet to move. The kiss was broken again as she moaned throatily in response to him pressing his knee flush against her.Reilly's eyes were squeezed shut as she focused on the growing feeling between her legs. She felt a hot breath on her neck before lips replaced it as she rocked her hips. Gone was the threat of the wasteland. The dilapidated buildings surrounding them melted away as she steadily gave into the feelings Michael was bringing to her. She bit her lip as his hands began to explore her body, slowly moving up her sides, his thumbs cresting the outlines of her breasts. A small whimper could be heard as she begged for more.One of his hands slipped under her shirt and made its way to one of her breasts, where he groped and pinched and twisted, all the while she was moving lewdly under him as her breath came out in shallow pants. It wasn't long before her shirt was pulled off and thrown to the side and his mouth found one of her nipples. He made a mental note of the four-leaf clover tattoo on her left arm. She placed a hand on the back of his head, holding him close to her chest. Her legs were spread now with his knee grinding against her.Soon one of his hands traveled south, playing along the edge of her waistband. Blue eyes met green, and permission was granted as she once more captured his lips with hers. Although surprised by the complete lack of hair, his hand traveled on towards her core. Even inches away he could feel its heat. Slowly, delicately, he began to massage her hot, wet sex with his fingers as a groan escaped her lips. With his duster, armor, and shirt thrown to the side long ago, her fingernails clawed love letters into his back.His thumb found her clit, rubbing it in circles before pressing a finger into her moist folds. Her head tilted back as she let out a whimper and he once more planted his lips upon her neck. A thousand thoughts raced through her mind in that moment, all of them involving him. His middle finger slowly worked its way in and out of her as her walls tightly squeezed him. Her orgasm was drawing ever closer, and they both knew it.In the blink of an eye, her pants were gone. Thrown to the side with the rest of her clothes. Her body trembled as he kissed her passionately and then proceeded to plant light kisses down the valley between her breasts, down her stomach, edging closer and closer to her hot sex. She watched with bated breath as his face came upon her womanhood and softly cried out when he planted a final kiss upon her sensitive nub.Michael began to trace a circle around her core with his tongue, teasing her even as her fingers bunched up in his hair. After she could take no more, his tongue finally met her labia, tracing along her slit. She was sweet, almost like honey. He wanted more. His tongue began to push into her, licking up and down, side to side, deeper and deeper. He was positioned in such a way that as he licked, he also stimulated her clit. Her body shook as her orgasm approached. His only warning was the slight, sharp pain as her fingers squeezed his hair before a river of the sweet nectar met his probing tongue, even as her walls clamped down on the moist object. The orgasm lasted almost a full minute as he never stopped his ministrations.She tugged on his hair, signaling him to stop and come up for air. Pulling his face to hers, her lips met his, and her tongue met his in a sexual battle of dominance. Like all battles, Michael had eventually won.Her hands went to his pants, signaling she wanted more. Specifically, all of him. Her hand traveled along the large bulge for a short moment before unzipping him, setting it free. She wasn't entirely surprised at his size, but still somewhat amazed. She wasn't sure if it would fit, but she was going to try anyways. Pushing him onto his back, she straddled his waist with raised hips, her incredibly wet sex dripping onto the tip of his cock. Taking hold of the base, he slowly rubbed the head against her moist slit. Her hips rocked back and forth, sliding along his hardness.Then, her eyes met his once more. Her hands found purchase on his chest as she lined herself up and slowly sank herself down upon him. The mushroom-like head spread her labia wide as it entered her. After a few short inches, she stopped and his eyes widened as she spoke "One hell of a first time, eh?"With that, she dropped the rest of her weight down, taking all nine inches of him into her. There was some pain, but it was quickly washed away with the accompanying pleasure. She leaned completely forward, and he met her lips with his. It wasn't a completely lustful kiss. It wasn't a chaste kiss, either. It was a kiss that was full of love as his hands stroked her cheeks. Her long red hair surrounded their faces, but there was enough light to see that when the kiss stopped, they were both smiling.After another moment, she began to move her hips. Slowly, delicately, and with caution. He was large, both in length and width, and she was small in both size and stature. Every time she sank back down upon him; she could feel the tip of his manhood pressing right against her cervix. She didn't know what she would do when his orgasm approached. Would she climb off? Stay on? Would he push her off? Did she even want to risk that, risk getting pregnant? Did he want kids? All those questions and more raced through her mind before coming to a complete halt as his hands lightly grabbed onto her thin waist and he spoke. "You're beautiful"Just like that, the questions fell to the wayside. The only thing she wanted now was to be with him, to experience this with him. She'd worry about all that later. Her hips began to move again, faster this time. Her wet folds accepted every inch of him, as if it were a perfect, destined fit. Each time she came down his tip prodded the entrance to her womb, and each time that happened it only made her want more. It was a fast-paced yet gentle coupling.Michael knew he should be able to last long enough for her to cum again, but he wasn't sure if he'd be able to last longer than that. He didn't know what he wanted to do when that time came, much less what she wanted, though from her movements he guessed she wasn't worried about that. Eventually he began to meet her half-way, thrusting up into her. Her moans drove him crazy. He reached up and began to fondle her breasts, playing with them, lightly twisting her nipples as she bounced up and down. Her walls were squeezing him as she slid up and down his length, her moans and mewls came to be longer in time, a sign that she was close. Then, it came all at once. She fell onto him and nearly screamed as her second orgasm took hold of her.He couldn’t have anticipated just how tight he'd be squeezed inside of her. So hot and wet and tight. A primal instinct took over as he grabbed her waist, holding her in place as he came. Hot, thick ropes of white goo were deposited directly into her womb, the mouth of her cervix wide open with the tip of his cock on the other side. She could feel him filling her up, and the shock of it along with how good it felt triggered a second consecutive orgasm. Her body shook on top of him as her pussy milked him of every drop of cum he had to give her. After a few long moments, she fell forward onto his chest. In that moment, she wasn't worried about the future. All she cared about were the hands that were wrapped around her tightly, holding her to him. She noticed neither one of them bothered to remove him from her, effectively sealing his essence inside of her he hadn't gone soft like she would have expected him to."Hey" she heard him say in a soft, loving voice she once thought him impossible of having. Tilting her head up to look at him, her eyes widened with his next words. "I love you."He kissed her softly and she responded in kind. Afterwards, she spoke "I love you too."Minutes passed as they laid there together. Nothing more had been said, as nothing else needed to be said. She did notice, however, that he had yet to soften. In fact, when she shifted, he throbbed inside of her. Smirking and biting her lip, she began to slowly rock her hips. "You're insatiable" He said, groaning."Look who's talking""Touché"Slowly, she pulled herself off him. She crawled forward, her dripping sex on full display to him. "Hurry up and stick that monster back in me" Reilly stated with a seductive smile.Michael only let out an exasperated sigh as he crawled behind her, lining himself up. He heard Reilly let out a groan as he pushed into her halfway, and a contented sigh after he pulled her the rest of the way back onto him. As he began to move, he reached forward. One hand focused on her breasts and nipples while the other rubbed her clit as he pistoned into her. Getting used to the rhythm, Reilly began to meet his thrusts halfway, essentially fucking herself onto his cock.This time, it wasn't a loving, tender embrace. It was a lust and passion filled primal mating between a predator and a submissive female. Indeed, Reilly submitted to him wholly and completely, not even thinking of protesting when his hand left her chest and went to her brown, puckered hole. He grabbed the accompanying cheek as he pressed his thumb against the orifice. Reilly relaxed that set of muscles, allowing his thumb access. A wave of pleasure washed over the fiery redhead as she was sexually dominated. Her cries of pleasure resounded in the decaying building, sounding more like an animal in heat. Her tongue eventually lolled out of her open mouth. Her breaths became more ragged by the minute.Michael leaned forward again; his target this time was her neck. First, it was a kiss. Then, a bite. This triggered Reilly's release, as once more an orgasm overtook her, racking her body. Her wet cunt clamped down onto his cock, massaging him, squeezing him, almost even pulling him deeper into her. Her eyes glazed over as she felt him reach his release, opting once more to not pull out, filling her womb to the brim. As if planned prior, they both slumped slightly forward, and then to the side, softly landing on the floor. He wrapped his arms around her body, holding her against him as if she was his possession. Though, in both their minds, they already belonged to each other. This thought was reaffirmed when he planted a single, chaste kiss in the same spot he had bitten. She was his, and he was hers.They laid there silently, basking in the afterglow of their coupling. Questions creeped into both their minds, wondering what they would do now. Reilly wondered if he'd stay with her, and Michael wondered if he'd be able to protect her. They both thought about what they had just done, Reilly blushing at the thought of it all. Would she get pregnant? Could they handle a child? Could she even get pregnant? It was common for women who have a lot of exposure to both Radiation and Rad-Away and Rad-X to become barren after so long. She was still young, but the thought remained. Did she even want a child?Question after question popped up, all remaining unanswered. She could feel the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed, hot air expelling onto the back of her neck. She could also feel him inside of her, still hard. She couldn't believe it. As if reading her thoughts, he spoke "Sorry. No refractory period." The words took a moment for her to process before she blushed a decidedly crimson, almost matching her hair. Surely she'd be walking a bit funny after this, but if they continued, she wasn't sure she'd be able to walk at all. The thought didn't deter her, however. In fact, it excited her. Michael took notice of it as he could feel her walls squeeze him lightly. He let out a chuckle but refrained from saying anything more.They had made love two more times, bringing her an additional three orgasms while he had two. She hadn't wanted to stop, but he had to convince her that if they didn't return soon then the others would get suspicious. After getting dressed and each having a cigarette, Reilly helped Michael on his original mission when he left the compound- Loot the dead Talon Mercs.As they looted, she saw how quickly and thoroughly Michael searched the bodies, pulling caps, cigarettes, whiskey, and extra ammo from the pouches on the armor each merc had. A nearby shopping cart was required, as he also stripped the mercs of the armor plates and LBE, leaving only the clothes behind. Weapons, armor, ammo, luxuries. Every dead merc was completely stripped of their belongings in under ten minutes. Reilly saw Michael turn towards the entrance to the Ranger compound and stare. She followed his eyes and as if on cue, Donovan rounded the corner with his now working pet project, a Sentry bot.He looked at the two with a raised eyebrow, knowing it wouldn't have taken this long to loot the mercs, but was wise enough to keep his mouth shut. Whatever they did, Reilly seemed to be in a much better mood, and that's all that mattered. "Looks like you've already got this under control. Just thought I'd introduce you to Bolts, our newest member.The couple shifted their gaze to the Sentry bot. Michael noted Donovan made a few adjustments that probably required another Sentry bot. Bolts, as Donovan called it, had some major modifications. Dual-mounted miniguns on the shoulders, extended rocketpods on one arm, and Tri-Beam laser cannons on the other. Along with this, Bolts had a paintjob. The iconic green paint with the Reilly's Rangers 'tattoo' on the chest. The Wanderer simply gave him a thumbs-up, while Reilly checked over the bot, making sure Donovan had remembered to add extra plating near the sensitive components, such as the target selector.The change in Reilly's demeanor was noticed almost immediately among most of the other Rangers. She walked with a skip in her step, and the way she spoke became more friendly. Overall, this was a positive change, but those who noticed were curious as to what had happened. When Kilo confronted her about it, Reilly simply cocked her head to the side and asked what it was she was talking about. Too embarrassed to press her, Kilo let it slide. She had an idea as to what had happened but wasn't going to share her theory with the others. If she were wrong, there'd be hell to pay, and the Lone Wanderer would be the debt collector. Even were she right, she had a sneaking suspicion that both Reilly and the Wanderer were keeping it quiet for a reason.Almost an entire day after going to sleep like a rock, Pepper had woken up from his deep, snore-filled sleep. When this was noticed, Reilly assembled a briefing as to what the Wanderer's plan was for Talon Company."Pepper, how many guys do you think would side with you over Jabasco?" Michael asked, trying to figure out exactly how much firepower to put where.Shrugging, the old Sergeant yawned. "I don't know exactly. At least three. Maybe five or six if they're all at the fort."Michael wrote down a '3' on the paper in front of him, written on it was a list of assets. "Alright. Donovan, is Bolts combat ready?"Donovan simply pressed a button on the makeshift PiP-Boy on his arm, and Bolts responded for him. "THIS UNIT IS OPERATING AT 97 PERCENT COMBAT CAPACITY"Reilly observed as Michael once more wrote something down onto the paper. It was shorthand, so she couldn't understand it."Here's the plan: Sergeant, you're going to go back to Talon Company alone. You're going to find the guys you think will side with you, and you're going to get them out of that fort. Don't make contact with Jabasco or his operators. Just get in, get your guys, and get out."On the table the Wanderer unscrolled a hand-sketched map of the fort, courtesy of Sergeant Pepper. Circling the watchtower to the east, he continued "You're going to go to the east watchtower. Relieve whoever is there of their watch. If you have to kill them, use this" He said, handing the old merc an incredibly rare gun; A Colt M1911, with an Osprey suppressor."Single stack, .45 ACP-""Suppressed, eight plus one. I know, I used to have one" He said, completely focused on the weapon in his hand. "Lost it in the Capital building after losing ground to the Super Mutants. Wasn't anywhere near as clean as this one though."Michael shrugged "If you live, you can keep that one. I have more." Ignoring the wide-eyed sergeant, he looked to Miles.""You and Kilo are going to be on the hill to the west providing overwatch. Don't shoot unless someone is pinned down or about to be hit. You need to stay there the entire time until exfil."Michael looked to Reilly "You, Brick and Donovan are going to come from the east along the defoliate. You shouldn't be spotted if Pepper and his guys do their job."He pointed at the manhole entrance "I'm going to go stealth. With a little luck none of you will have to fire a shot. Otherwise, the signal will be me" He paused, pushing a button on his PiP-Boy. Suddenly, without Donovan's order the bot went to the Wanderer's side "sending Bolts up the middle, through the fence. Its armor is good enough to stop most of the rounds they're going to throw at it. Donovan, you'll be taking control of it after the signal."Michael turned to Pepper "With the Sentry bot, nobody is going to notice the friendly fire until it's too late. Dig in and hold that area. Reilly, Brick and Donovan are going to cut the fence with some bolt-cutters and reinforcing you. Miles and Kilo should keep you covered.""What about you?" Brick asked the question they were all wondering"If I'm spotted, I'm going to make sure they don't get any reinforcements outside to you guys." He said, his eyes turning to ice. They all knew what he meant. Pepper slightly winced at the thought of all the guys he knows getting torn to shreds."If I'm not spotted, then you'll see Jabasco being dragged out of the other entrance after I find out why he's been attacking us. He'll order a stand down and I'll pin him to the wall. After that, hopefully they'll go back to living somewhat normal lives. Otherwise, we're back to plan B and we kill them all."
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Michael’s Rangers
Chapter IV: Shock and Awe
The plan would have worked. Michael could've easily gotten through Fort Bannister undetected by himself and it would have been even easier were there a distraction outside. He could've taken down Jabasco with little effort and forced a ceasefire. Sergeant Pepper would've brought some possible new blood to the Rangers and, after some extensive cleaning, they could've moved into Fort Bannister. These thoughts passed through the Wanderer's head while he contemplated his, and the Ranger's next move.The Wanderer assumed that one of the Talon Mercs he allowed to live a few days prior went back to Jabasco, even with the threat of being flayed alive. He made a mental note to find out who it was and make good on his promise. An explosion shook the building he and the Rangers were taking shelter in, signaling their time had run out. He heard Theo, who had just returned from a supply run a few hours ago, let out a string of profanities.Michael silently hoped that they could hold out against the siege a bit longer, just long enough for the sun to go down. As another explosion rocked the building yet again, he thought back to how they were put into this position."Hey everyone, I'm ba-" The words died in Theo's throat as he laid eyes upon the Wanderer at their briefing table. His eyes caught notice of Sergeant Pepper before looking to Reilly, wondering what just the hell was going on. He visibly relaxed when she waved him over."Theo, we're just finishing up here. We're going after Talon." Reilly said, pulling him to the side.Theo was many things. Stupid was not one of them. "So, all those bodies outside..."Reilly nodded "Talon. Michael- The Wanderer took care of them himself. Pepper was in command, but now he's with us" She said, pointing a finger at the old Sergeant."After this, your duties are being reassigned. Pepper is going to take over as Quartermaster. He knows of a lot of Talon cashes around the Wasteland and I aim to take them once they no longer have an owner"Before Theo could speak, she answered his unasked question "Don't worry, you're not being put on latrine duty again. Since he's former Talon we can't have him or the guys he'll be bringing over running around unsupervised. You'll be in charge of keeping them in line should they step out of it."Theo's eyes widened at the thought of more Talon Company mercs coming over to the Rangers. Dangerous, yes, but also good for business. More contract possibilities along with safety in numbers. He quickly composed himself and nodded just as the Wanderer walked over to the two Rangers."Theo, you'll be with Reilly on this. She'll fill you in on the details while we travel." The Wanderer said, his gruff voice passing through his masked face. Theo nodded again as the Wanderer left the room. To him, 'The Lone Wanderer' was a hero, but also terrifying. He had seen his handiwork twice now and heard of his exploits through Three Dog. He wasn't about to question as to why the Wanderer was leading this operation.They had just gotten moving when the Wanderer held up a closed fist, signaling the Rangers to come to a stop. The hairs on his neck stood up as he scanned the area. They had only gone three blocks so far and already something felt wrong. Off in the distance a sound was heard that confirmed his fears. The sound of a Fat-Man launching a Mini-Nuke."MOVE!" The Wandered yelled, turning on his heel and sprinting back the way they had just come. The Rangers felt no need to doubt him and quickly followed suit. A few short moments later a Mini-Nuke impacted the pavement where the Wanderer once stood and detonated, sending a cloud of radioactive dust and smoke into the air as well as shrapnel from both the bomb's shell and the pavement in every direction. Shortly after a hail of gunfire was sent in the direction of where the Rangers once were.The Wanderer had gotten the Rangers into a nearby building about half a block from the point of contact, all avoiding injury by only an inch. Michael peeked out of the third-story window and saw a figure emerge from the smoke. Giant, bulky armor with spikes protruding from the pauldrons. An unlit cigarette in his lips and a knife in his hand. From memory the Wanderer recalled all these attributes to line up with the profile Michael had on Jabasco, the current leader of Talon Company. As the smoke dissipated, he could see that Jabasco had brought a sizable force with him.Pepper blanched at the amount of people with Jabasco. Over half of Talon Company was down in the street, all armed to the teeth. He could make out several faces in the front line, all of which were the guys he had planned to save from the Wanderer. While not regretting his choice to join up with the Rangers, he was visibly upset that he wouldn't be able to save his friends."Wanderer" the whiskey-soaked voice of Jabasco echoed throughout the empty streets of downtown DC "Your luck has finally run out. Your desire to save people overextended your own reach, and now you're going to die with the pathetic Rangers"Brick's face visibly contorted, readying to go out in a blaze of gunfire. The Wanderer raised a hand, motioning her to wait."You're going to die tonight. Hopefully last, after me and my boys have our way with that redhead Reilly. I'll tell ya what, you send her out here in the next ten minutes and I might spare ya."Michael's fist clenched shut and the veins on his arms became visible as his blood boiled.Jabasco lit his cigarette and took a long drag from it. "Ten minutes. After that, I'll have to bring that building down on top of ya. Even you can't survive that."Icy blue eyes met green as Reilly made eye contact with Michael. For a brief moment a look of fear could be seen in his eyes, but it was gone so fast she questioned whether it was there in the first place, replaced by a look that told her his wheels were turning once more, trying to find a way out of this unfavorable situation. He held a finger to his lips to signal her to be silent as he shook his head. After looking down at the object on his arm, he spoke."You have twelve minutes before I come out of here. Twelve minutes to leave. Otherwise, I'm going to slaughter each and every single one of you, and the last one left alive will forever wish he was dead."Unseen by Michael, Jabasco was so shocked at the Wanderer's retort that his cigarette, his last stick of cancer fell out of his mouth. Slowly, what seemed like small, closed-mouth coughs morphed into a madman's cackles as Jabasco clutched his side. The Talon Company mercs behind him looked to each other, not quite sure of their fearless leader's state of mind."That's good! Very good, Wanderer. Just as I'd expect. I'll be taking great pleasure in making you watch as I rip the hearts out of all the others in that building."Unseen by Jabasco, a few of the troops in the back had decided to heed the Wanderer's warning. They left, quickly and quietly.As explosions shook the building around them, Michael sat quietly on the steps leading down to the street. His eyes were glued to the computer on his arm. Jabasco had gotten impatient, starting the attack three minutes early. Now, the Wanderer found himself praying to whatever higher power that might exist that the building not collapse before the remaining time before sundown was up.Behind him, he could hear the quiet swearing coming from both Brick and Theo. Shifting focus, he could hear Donovan praying in a language he didn't speak. The two Snipers, though seemingly quiet, were whispering to each other. As the seconds counted down, he could feel himself going through one of his many changes. His senses were becoming stronger. He could smell, beyond all the mildewy smoke, Pepper had decided to light his own cigarette. Reilly was beside him, her head on his shoulder, her arms wrapped around his free arm. He could feel the body head radiating off of her.Taking a quick glance, he saw that her eyes were shut tight. Everything about her told him she was scared; in fact she was terrified. She didn't want to die, and she was placing all her trust, all of her will to live in his hands. Counting down the final seconds, he kissed her cheek and stood up. Her head shot up, looking at him. She saw him give her a single wink and then disappear seeming into thin air. She looked around and saw she was the only one who noticed. In the back of her mind, she knew something about him was off when she saw his face. It was his, but it wasn't. He was grinning. Not a confident grin, but a feral, bloodthirsty grin. And his eyes were different. Gone were the blue orbs. In their stead, she was red slitted eyes.As that final bit of information processed through her brain, she heard and felt the explosions stop. The building stopped shaking. For a moment that felt like an eternity, all was silent. The Rangers looked to each other, wondering if they had died and the afterlife was just another wasteland.That's when they heard it. The roar. A roar that very few have ever lived to remember. A loud, deep, demonic-sounding roar that could only be produced by a beast a hell. The roar of a Deathclaw could be heard by everyone at the scene, and followed by it were screams of terror and pain accompanied by gunshots. Pepper took a chance and looked out of the window, hoping to see something past the darkness. For a split second, he caught a flash of crimson red.When the front artillery squad had stopped reloading, Jabasco knew something was wrong. He sent the nearest NCO to investigate to witness something he couldn't make sense of. The NCO had stopped mid-sprint for a moment and exploded into blood. He saw it then, a pair of disembodied eyes staring back at him. They glowed a deep red he had seen once before through the scope of a rifle. A Deathclaw's eyes.He couldn't speak. Couldn't yell. He found himself frozen in place as they came closer to him. The men around him seemed to also be entrapped by the gaze from the red eyes. One of them managed to break free just moments before his arm was lopped off, managing to squeeze the trigger on his 10mm pistol three times, causing the rest of the front line to break and the following lines to start to panic, as they could only see and not hear what was going on, the cloudy moonless night doing them no favors.Eventually Jabasco was able to direct his men to fire at the creature, though it seemed like no bullets were making contact. The thing moved like the mist, ignoring the laws of physics as it cut and slashed it's way through the mercenaries. It would appear behind someone who it was just directly in front of with a clawed arm sticking through the poor bastard's chest. Any outstretched limbs were almost immediately forfeited, littering the ground with hands, arms, and legs.Up in the building, no Ranger knew what was going on down there. So far, only Reilly and Pepper had noticed Michael's absence. Neither one of them believed the monster on the ground to be him though. The Wanderer was a force of nature, but not even he could cut through that many men so easily. Right? They heard, over the screams and gunfire, Jabasco calling a retreat. Pepper's eyes widened further. Jabasco had never called a retreat. It wasn't his style to give up. He'd rather go down fighting than look like a coward.The clouds gave way to a sliver of the moon, allowing both Ranger and Talon alike to see past the first two feet ahead of them. Radioactive rain started to fall, quickly soaking the dried-up wasteland. Amidst the standing Talon mercenaries, a figure could be seen. Before the moonlight became hidden once more, they saw as it pulled a clawed hand out of the chest of the man in front of it, tossing the body aside as if it weighed nothing. Once the moonlight was gone, another howl could be heard. This time, a howl of victory. The howl a Deathclaw makes when it bests a Yao Gai or opposing Deathclaw. A way of showing dominance to any creatures around that may think to challenge it.The noise only spread panic faster among the Talon ranks. They were practically scrambling over each other to get away. Gone was the gunfire, leaving only people screaming and crying in agony as they laid on the ground, often missing limbs. The radiation-soaked raindrops burned their skin, adding to their suffering.Minutes of relative silence passed before the Rangers heard anything new. They were quick to aim their weapons at the stairway when they heard something - or someone stumbling up the steps. One landing down, they saw Michael. When he collapsed, they quickly forgot the events that had just transpired. As Reilly was the first to approach him, she was the first to confirm that whatever they thought was down there was actually Michael, as he was soaked in blood. On the end of his arms, there were large claws. From a Deathclaw.That's when she noticed it. Michael's breathing was shallow. She took a closer glance at his form to see that he was also riddled with bullet holes. In a panic, she pulled open the duster to see what the damage was.It was bad. From what Pepper could tell, the kid had taken over a dozen slugs. Arms, legs, chest, everywhere. Multiple grazings were also on his body. He saw the Wanderer's eyes open. Blue, not red.Michael tugged his hand out of the gauntlet and brought it up to Reilly's face, who was sitting over him. A genuine yet pain-filled smile crept onto his face as she held his hand and leaned into it, not at all deterred by the blood. On the other side of him, Kilo and Miles were trying to figure out where to start to patch him up. They were too focused on their job to hear what was said between the other two. Downstairs, Theo and Donovan were keeping watch. Talon wasn't stupid enough to come back after that massacre, but there's always the chance of super mutants and raiders coming to investigate noise in downtown D.C.The Wanderer was pale. Although Kilo and Miles were doing everything in their power to keep him alive, he was simply losing too much blood. Tears welled up in Reilly's eyes as Michael's breathing became even more shallow. He was dying and there was nothing she could do about it. Then, the building rumbled around them. The structural integrity of it was failing due to the damage at the base of it."We need to move, now!" Pepper shouted, moving to pick up the Wanderer. Reilly nodded and helped him, draping one of his arms around her neck as Pepper did the same. As they descended the staircase, the building's shaking became more intense. They had just gotten outside when the building finally gave up, collapsing onto itself with a loud crash. It was still raining, and they needed to find some shelter from the acidic, radioactive rain.They quickly carried the Wanderer to a nearby overpass. When they laid him down, however, they noticed something spectacular. A slug from a 10mm pistol or SMG was pushed out of the wound it caused, the flesh behind it sealing up. Although the Rangers had never seen anything like it before, Pepper had.It was a mutation, caused by exposure to one kind of radiation or another for too long. It was rare for a mutation to be beneficial, but it was known to happen. A thought crossed his mind. Just how beneficial was this mutation?"Stop" He said, hesitating for a moment "Put him back into the rain."Brick shot him an incredulous look but complied anyways. As the rain fell onto him, they watched as one by one bullet slugs were pushed out of his body and wounds were sealed shut. The rain should have been burning his skin, but instead it was giving color back to it. Kilo checked his pulse to find it was much stronger than it was before."That should be enough" Pepper said, pulling the Wanderer back under shelter "Don't want to push it too much. Not sure how much radiation his body can handle."Brick spoke first "What was that? How did that happen?"For a moment, Pepper thought about ignoring her question. After lighting a cigarette and taking a long drag, he decided to answer "You were Brotherhood. Protected from the elements. Protected from the wasteland yet still exposed to radiation. Your body became used to the detrimental effects."Pepper gazed at the Wanderer's still form. He continued "He grew up in a vault. No radiation down there. No exposure means no way for the body to become accustomed to it over time. I'm willing to bet when he disarmed that bomb in Megaton a few years ago he soaked up a lot of RADs. Probably got sick from it."He sighed, taking another drag from his stick of cancer "His body probably processed it differently than most, having been exposed to so much all at once. Combine that with all the weird shit he's done and been through and it's not hard to accept that he's just plain different from us. He's lucky, though. Most mutations caused by radiation don't end well."Pepper's words weighed heavily on the other Rangers. Was the Wanderer really so different? Almost collectively they thought back to the screams of terror, the flashes of glowing red eyes. He was definitely different, and it put some of them on edge. Should he decide that the Rangers are enemies, or should he break mentally, many of them doubted the Capital Wasteland would survive such a creature.Reilly was unperturbed. She didn't care how different he was, how deadly he was. Their connection seemed to completely eliminate any negative ideas of the Wanderer. For now, she was just grateful that she and the Rangers were once again saved by him. With his disappearing act, he could have easily left them all for dead. He didn't. Instead, he took it upon himself to take on an entire battalion of Talon mercs.To her left, Pepper was hard at work trying to get a fire going with what little tinder they had available. It was getting colder by the minute and the rain didn't seem to be letting up. Theo, who was resting against the overpass wall despite the night's activities could be heard muttering in his sleep. Despite his youth, he was the second most at-ease, next to Pepper, of the Wanderer's capabilities. Brick and Donovan were a good six feet away from the Wanderer. Over the rain, their harsh whispers could be heard. They were afraid. Kilo and Miles were on overwatch. While it was unlikely Talon would come back for round two, curious critters might have been attracted to the sound. Or Muties.Reilly checked Michael's pulse once more. It was strong. His breathing was no longer labored. It was as if he was just in a deep sleep. She knew then that death would not claim him that night. With his raw display of power and skill, it was possible Death simply wasn't prepared to take him. Maybe it was afraid. Or on the flip side, maybe the Wanderer was simply an instrument of Death bestowed upon the wicked of the Wasteland. Whatever the case, Michael would live to see another day.In the back of her mind, Reilly felt that this wasn't the worst of what was to come for him. She muttered an oath just loud enough for Pepper to hear; whatever is to come, she'll be there with him to ensure he knows that he's more than a weapon, that someone cares for him still.Hearing this, Pepper lets out a tired sigh. "Gonna be a long ride.."
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Michael’s Rangers
Chapter V: Interlude
In a few short days word of the Wanderer's most recent skirmish with Talon Company had spread throughout the Wasteland like wildfire. They all told the same story: Dozens of Talon Mercs were slaughtered at the hands of some monster that the Wanderer transformed into. Small details, such as the unholy sounds heard that night eventually found their way into the story as well.It wasn't the first time the Wasteland had heard tales of such an event. Paradise Falls, Evergreen Mills, and Raven Rock were said to have experienced the same wrath brought forth by the Wanderer's rage. This was, however, the first time any survivors were there to tell the story first-hand. Some of the surviving Mercs ended up in Megaton, others were picked up by the Citadel once word of that night had gotten out.Simms took a Talon Merc into custody, but only after he had begged for protection from the Wanderer. The grisly sheriff had chained the man to a chair in an abandoned house and interrogated him. At first, nothing seemed to work. Threats and acts of torture did nothing to the half-lucid Merc. Only when the Wanderer was mentioned was there any information spilled. The mere passing mention of the Wasteland's hero caused the Merc to cower in fear and eventually panic.Once Simms assured him that the Wanderer hadn't been to Megaton in weeks, the Merc finally was calm enough to share what had happened that night. The more Simms heard, the more he questioned the man's sanity. According to him, the Wanderer transformed into a Deathclaw that was impossible to kill. Now, he had heard a lot of odd things in his days as a Regulator, but never once had he been told of a person turning into the most feared creature in the Wasteland. Even so, he sent out a message and a request to his friends still in the Regulators to scout the area.The Citadel was less gentle with their prisoner. Elder Lyons had a look on his face of pure, unadulterated wrath. The Wanderer had not only given pure drinking water back to the land and its people but had also saved his daughter several times over the years. His daughter, Sarah, was adamant about not only keeping in touch with the Wanderer but also protecting him as one of their own.Along with Sarah, Gallows was unnaturally outspoken about the Wanderer at times as well. Rothchild had suspected that Gallows felt as if the Wanderer was a kindred spirit. Gallows requested some time with their 'guest' in the isolation room to get information out of him. Lyons agreed without a second thought when normally he would be against such drastic actions.Six hours later, Gallows had all pertinent information about that night. The threat made by Jabasco, the Wanderer's retort, the attack, and then the slaughter. In a briefing with the top-level members of the Chapter, he relayed it all in full detail. Sarah requested to have her and her Pride dispatched to the area to assure the Wanderer's safety. After an almost unanimous vote Lyons sent them on their way after telling his daughter to be careful.To everyone's surprise, Michael had been up and moving the following morning of the attack. Nobody, not even Reilly had known what to do or say. All attempts at conversation were met with grunts in response, a wave of the hand, or sometimes the Wanderer would ignore the person speaking to him altogether.Once he was up, Michael took a long, clean shower. A part of him felt a pang of guilt for using up so much clean water, but he pushed it down, telling himself that once they cleaned out Fort Bannister of any stragglers, they'd surely have plenty of clean water if Rothchild's reports of Talon attacks on water caravans were anything to go by.He knew the Rangers wanted answers. Every attempt at contact with him was made hesitantly and cautiously, always with the refusal to look him in the eyes. He decided that until someone be forward about a question, he was going to pass on their questions and deny their attempts at small talk.After he was clean, he suited up, noting all the new holes in his duster he'd have to get patched up, and left the compound to scavenge the bodies. To his surprise, Pepper was already outside doing just that. Pepper grunted a greeting, which the Wanderer returned in kind. Together, they stripped Pepper's former comrades of anything valuable. Guns, ammo, luxuries such as alcohol and cigarettes, load-bearing equipment, armor.With the two of them working together, the task was completed fairly quickly. The Wanderer looked on with some interest as Pepper singled out some of the dead mercs and pulled them away from the rest of the bodies. He heard Pepper say a quiet prayer before he took a shovel he had borrowed from the Ranger compound and began digging a grave in the median of the road. Pepper paused his task of digging graves for his dead friends and watched as the Wanderer went back to the compound with the scavenged loot.A few minutes later he returned with a shovel of his own. Together, Michael and Pepper worked on digging graves. Pepper looked up from the hole he was digging and spoke for the first time that day. "So, what the fuck was that last night?"The Wanderer couldn't help but smirk a bit, Pepper's lack of tact clearly amusing to him. The old merc frowned, not finding the situation funny. "That was the result of too much time out in the Wasteland. Too many rads. Too much exposure to weird shit."Michael stops digging, looking out into the streets. His eyes glaze over, as if he's seeing beyond the walls of the city and into places unknown. "There's a lot of bad shit out there. Worse than Raiders, super mutants, or Enclave. Once you learn that there are things out there that Deathclaws are afraid of, you gain a whole new perspective. You either die, or you adapt. I adapted."At the mention of Deathclaws being afraid of anything, Pepper's cigarette dropped out of his mouth into the hole he was digging. Time seemed to stand still. What was so terrifying that it scared a Deathclaw? Did he even want to know?Michael went back to his task as he continued to speak "It's a dark, scary world out there, Pepper. Beyond the Capital Wasteland, beyond the radiation storms surrounding us, deeper still in the high-rad zones, are things that keep me up at night." Michael paused, thinking back to his travels in the high-rad zones. He visibly shuddered."It's why I fight so hard. It's what drives me these days. Knowing about those things. Knowing that they're damn near impossible to kill. We have to be prepared. All of us. Raiders, Talon mercs, Supermutants all mean jack-shit compared to what's out there. One day, their food source is going to run low enough for them to travel inwards. I'm trying to prepare us for that day."Pepper was frozen. He didn't know what to do or what to say. He figured that the kid must’ve seen some weird shit, but he never thought of something lurking beyond the Capital. He never thought anything would be more terrifying than a Deathclaw. Snapping himself out of his stupor, he resumed digging. "If that's all true, what's driving trade? How is it getting through? How'd the Brotherhood get here?"The Wanderer shrugged. "They took the safe routes here. Waited for a lull in the storm. Sometimes, caravans will try to take a shortcut. They always go missing. The Brotherhood sent scouts ahead before they set up in the Citadel. They only followed the path the surviving scouts returned from."He stopped talking, looking up towards the compound. Following his gaze, Pepper saw an empty walkway. He looked to the Wanderer, thinking he might be off his rocker. Then, a certain redhead came around the corner. Her eyes were locked on Michael's. Pepper chose wisely to give them some privacy. "Guess I'll fuck off and take a break" he said under his breath, walking away.Reilly sat around the bunker, trying to figure out what she'd say to Michael. She wanted to thank him for once again saving their asses, but at the same time she was terrified. Not of him, but of the thought of her questions that she had for him driving him away. She wanted to know what happened to him. She wanted to know how he did the things he did.It wasn't the first time she wanted to know. Ever since she heard the first few stories Three Dog spun on the radio about the 'Kid from 101' she wanted to know how he managed to survive. Some of the things attributed to him were insane. Before last night, she thought the idea of Michael facing a Deathclaw in single combat with nothing but a knife was impossible. Now, she felt that the most feared creature in the Wasteland was no longer super mutants or Deathclaws, but the Wanderer himself.She knew, of course, that he wasn't a mindless beast. She'd seen his humanity. She'd felt it, too. His smirk, his eyes, and his gentle touch told a different story not told on the radio. She was no fool, there had been some chatter of the Wanderer and Sarah Lyons hooking up and anyone in the 'know' had heard as such. Likewise, a recorded interview Three Dog did with Michael years ago told that he was once in love with a girl from the vault.The redhead didn't pretend to have full claim on him. Reilly wasn't blind, she knew how strikingly good looking he was. She knew firsthand how easy it was to fall for him. Thinking back to their intimate time together was what finally pushed her to go find him.At first, she looked for him in the usual places; shower, bunk room, kitchen. When she couldn't find him there, she went outside. That's when she heard the familiar sound of his voice. She edged closer to the wall, trying to avoid calling attention and alerting him to her presence."... always go missing. The Brotherhood sent scouts ahead before they set up in the Citadel. They only followed the path the surviving scouts returned from."She knew what he was talking about. There were holotapes and journals about the Brotherhood's trek East. Before they reached the border of what was once known as 'D.C' they had encountered a massive storm of radiation, dust, and other nasty things. They sent scouts with RadAway and Rad-X packed into self-deploying medical units in their armor into the storm to map out the area. Only one had made it back. All others were presumed KIA.The sudden silence gave her the clue he knew she was there. Snapping herself out of her thoughts, she rounded the corner and locked eyes with him, ignoring Pepper's stares. After hearing a mumble from the old merc, he walked away, leaving the two alone.Michael was used to uncomfortable silence. Reilly was not. Seeing this, Michael took out a bottle from one of his pouches and held it in her field of view, shaking the bottle slightly causing its contents to slosh around. Michael nodded his head in the direction of an empty, roofless building before walking that way and Reilly followed.They sat on the stairs in silence, passing a bottle of whiskey back and forth. In the Wanderer's lips was a lit cigarette, which was also shared between the two. They looked up into the grey sky together.Reilly looked down at the bottle in her hands. "I won't ask you what that was last night" she said, her voice quiet. The man beside her didn't say anything, simply choosing to nod instead."I thought you were gone. You were riddled with bullets. You just kept bleeding and got more and more pale.. and the entire time I was thinking I was losing you. How selfish is that? Other people depend on you, too, but I was only thinking about my potential loss." He couldn't see it, but he knew that under her hair that was covering her face, she was crying."Then, when Pepper had us put you back into the rain, you got better. I don't know how. I don't care. I want you to know that. Other people might think-" She was cut off by his hand coming to her chin, raising her head to look at him. Her eyes were filled with tears, shining with sadness. She reached forwards and brought her mouth to his in a needy kiss, unable to contain her emotions.He responded positively, allowing her body to form to his, wrapping his arms around her protectively. That is, until..."Ahem"Inwardly, Michael cursed at allowing himself to be snuck up on. He broke the embrace and kiss to look at the door to see Sarah Lyons with the Pride behind her, all of them decked out in their signature T-45d Power Armor."Well, this is awkward." Colvin, the ever quick-witted one of the group."Shut it Colvin." Dusk, the one tasked with keeping Colvin in line.A large sigh escaped Sarah's lips, "That's it. Security detail, now."Colvin's snicker was heard throughout the group, but nobody protested. Before setting off, Gallows and the Wanderer shared a nod. After watching her squad set off she looked back to Michael. "I need to talk to you."Reilly and Michael shared a look before he left her there in the building. A look that said 'Don't worry, there's no problem here.'Michael and Sarah walked slowly down the street, her power armor clanking quietly. Side-by-side, even in her power Armor the Brotherhood Sentinel was shorter than the Wasteland Legend. Sarah took off her helmet, shaking her head to free her hair. "So, Reilly huh?"He raised an eyebrow at her, knowing full well their 'agreement' they made shortly after he had taken down the landcrawler. After they had gotten back to the Citadel and had been debriefed by her father, Sarah and Michael had come together in a fit of passion.The entire time he was bringing the fight to the Enclave, she had been in a comatose state after they had taken back the purifier. Although her father made it clear he didn't blame him, Michael put the blame on his shoulders anyways. One of the only people he had ever gotten close to was hurt for what he felt was because of him. When she had showed up in the Vertibird, he felt all that weight he was carrying fall off his shoulders.For her part, when she had woken up she felt guilty for letting him walk into the purifier alone. She had tried to convince him to let her do it, but all he had done was kiss her softly and pushed her away before walking into the room, sealing the door behind her. There, as the purifier spooled up and released a mass of radiation, their hands laid against the glass, the cool material separating them. She had cried as he laid there smiling, feeling like his mission was finally at an end.In her room as they had laid in her bed basking in their mutual afterglow, she had spoken to him of how she didn't expect him to be mutually exclusive with her, knowing full well that he was still needed out in the Wasteland, knowing they'd spend days, weeks, or even months apart. She told him that while she'd wait for him forever, he was free to pursue any women that he felt were important to him.Bringing his mind back to the present, Michael nodded. "She's important to me." That's all he really needed to say. Sarah understood. While Reilly was still in the Brotherhood, she and Sarah were a lot closer than most knew. They had confided in each other, fought together, and were like sisters."She's important to me, too. Like a sister. You'll take care of her, right?" she asked, taking his hands in hers, the cool metal separating their skin from touching.Michael shared a meaningful gaze with her and squeezed her hands softly, but strong enough for her to feel through her armor. "Just like I take care of you."Sarah scoffed, smirking. "Yeah right. When I first found you, you were cowering behind a wall pinned down by a few muties with hunting rifles.""Yeah, and ten minutes later I killed my first Behemoth." He said, knocking on her armor.She shoved him lightly, laughing. "Don't go acting all high and mighty now. Pride goeth before a fall."There were two pairs of eyes watching Sarah and the Wanderer. One of them was Reilly, looking on with apprehension. She loved Sarah like a sister, but she also loved Michael and hoped that the little triangle they had now didn't get awkward or fall apart. She would never make Michael choose between the two and knew Sarah wouldn't either.Unseen by all but Gallows, the second pair of eyes came from a figure off in the distance on top of a building. A tall male figure in a duster with a revolver on his hip. A Regulator. Gallows knew the Regulators, they didn't hold any ill-intent for the Wanderer nor the Brotherhood. Still, he wondered if it was coincidence that they were here or if they were actively checking up on the Wasteland's greatest asset.He watched as the figure took out a pair of binoculars and looked through them. Regulators were an enigma in the Wasteland, as secluded and silent as they are quick and deadly. Gallows knew the Regulator wouldn't come closer. They preferred to observe rather than directly interact should the situation permit it. Confirming his suspicions, after a short time the Regulator put his binoculars away and went back into the building.Two hours later, both groups were crammed into the command room of the Ranger's base of operations. Michael had requested that the Pride assist with their upcoming operation, to which Sarah quickly agreed. They filed into the room and Michael went over their original plan and explained that Talon's numbers would be reduced by quite a bit now, making it a perfect time to strike before they can replenish their numbers."I know the Pride likes to fight slow and heavy, but Talon has some serious firepower backing them up. It'd be foolhardy to send all of you up the middle with Bolts" The Wanderer said, hiking a thumb at Donovan's modified Sentry Bot."Well if we're not going up the middle, what are we doing?" Colvin asked, never before having someone other than Sarah direct them in combat.Michael rolled out the map that had indications of where the Rangers would be. Then, he points to Miles and Kilo's sniping position. "Gallows, I want you with Miles and Kilo. Keep Talon off them. I don't want the two of them having to break from covering the others if they don't have to."Gallows nodded, understanding the importance of constant overwatch when taking a fortified position. Michael turned to the two Snipers on the team."Colvin, Dusk, I want you two on this hill here" he said, pointing at what was specified to be a rocky hill overlooking the facility. "With you two there, and Miles and Kilo in their positions it should give us about ninety-five percent coverage. Your task is to open up when I give the signal. I don't really care who you pick as your targets so long as you're quick about it."Dusk sighed. She was hoping that she wouldn't get paired with Colvin. A stern look from Sarah however and she regarded Michael's words with a sharp nod, as did Colvin.Michael looked to Glade, the Pride's resident Heavy Weapons expert. On his back was a modified Missile Launcher and in his arms he carried a Gatling Laser. In addition, Glade was wearing T-51b power armor which Michael had donated to the Brotherhood. "I want you with Bolts. Use it as cover when it goes up the middle. The T-51b armor should provide enough protection so that any stray shots only scratch the paint."Glade was confident that Michael's plan would work, but it didn't put him at ease to know that he'd be in the direct line of fire. "What about their heavy weapons? Wouldn't take more than a missile or two to take down the bot. Then I'm exposed."Michael nodded, turning to Sarah and Vargas. "That's where you two come in. You'll be with Reilly. Don't worry about who they're engaging. I want you two on anyone with heavy weaponry. Take 'em out before they can fire and both Bolts and Glade will be just fine."Sarah and her second-in-command nodded. "We'll keep you safe, Glade." Vargas said, a hint of humor in his voice."What about me?" Kodiak asked, feeling left out. He got a chill sent down his spine when Michael looked at him with a smirk."You'll be stationed behind the fort just off the road here" The Wanderer said, pointing to a large rock that would conceal him in his armor. "You're gonna mow down anyone who tries to run away. They'll be too distracted to notice you until they've got rounds flying through them."Kodiak suddenly understood why the man before him was so feared. He was absolutely relentless to the point of being slightly sadistic. "Got it."Michael looked back to the map, contemplating whether or not his plan is as sound as possible. After a minute or so, he nodded one final time. "Alright. This will work."Reilly asked the question everyone in the room had on the tip of their tongues. "When do we leave?"The Wanderer turned to face them all. They all looked to him. Suddenly Michael felt different. He was working with people. He was leading people. Everyone in the room had placed both their life and their faith in him, and it made him feel strange. If the plan failed, if even a single one of them died during the operation he'd never forgive himself.He looked to Reilly, one of the only people to express faith in his abilities as a commander. One of the only people that he'd allowed himself to get close to. She was trusting him with her life, just like everyone else in the room.Then, he looked to Sarah. The first woman since Amata back in the vault who he felt a connection to. Much like Reilly, he felt that he'd go the ends of the Earth for Sarah. In a way, he already had once when he began fighting the Enclave after taking back the purifier. Now, she was the one putting herself on the line for him.Steeling himself, Michael spoke. "We leave now."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Michael’s Rangers
Chapter VI: Extermination
Rock Hemsey knew something was wrong when Jabasco didn't return from his little trip to the DC ruins. He had argued against Jabasco himself going out, seeing as the last fifty or so guys they've sent at The Wanderer and Reilly's Rangers never made it back, but Jabasco was nothing if not stubborn. Jabasco assured Rock, his second-in-command, that he was "going to squash the Wanderer and his ilk like bugs" and would be back before dinner the following day. Obviously, something had gone wrong.His suspicions were confirmed when one of the guys sent on Jabasco's operation came back bloody and terrified. The kid was one of their recent recruits, one who showed quite a bit of talent. Now he was in their isolation room, missing the lower half of his right arm and clearly out of his mind. They had gotten their 'resident' surgeon to do what he could for the kid's arm, but there wasn't anything they could do about his state of mind. All they got from him was that they had The Wanderer cornered, trapped like a rat, and then they were attacked by some kind of monster that was smaller, quicker, and more deadly than a Deathclaw. When asked about Jabasco, the young merc was totally unresponsive. Rock could only assume that Jabasco was dead and now he was in charge.He sent runners to call back their deployed troops. If Jabasco was dead along with over a hundred of their men in the past week, they were more exposed than ever. Perhaps a change in management is what they needed. The following night almost all of their men were back home, all but a few guards outside assembled inside the large, dimly lit common room. He made a speech about Jabasco's passing and their diminished numbers. He told them what they wanted to hear: Less competition meant more money for those still around.Moments before he ended his speech, the entire complex's lights went out. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal, usually just evidence of the generator running out of fuel because someone assigned to it decided to take a nap. However, Rock was on high alert ever since The Wanderer took down the first batch of troops they had sent his way.In a slightly panicked voice, he called out to the new second-in-command. "Adams, take a group and go check out the generator. Everyone else, I want this base searched from head to toe. Double time!"Talon Mercenaries weren't new to changes in management, but rarely were they commanded to search their own compound. In fact, the only time they ever were was during Jabasco's coup. Acting quickly, they made their way through the somewhat extensive corridors of the facility. However, screams and the sound of gunfire directed the majority of troops back towards the common room. Several dozen troops filed back into the room through multiple entrances only to witness that, during their short time apart Rock and the small detachment of guards he ordered to stay with him were slaughtered.The guards had been slashed and stabbed, where as Rock himself was pinned to the wall, several feet above the ground, and impaled by railroad spikes in various places. They knew of only one person in the Wasteland who used a weapon that was capable of that. Before they could react to the scene before them, an explosion rocked the facility and the above-ground alarm sounded. As they ran towards the exits, simultaneously trying to escape what they knew was inside with them and confront whatever was attacking them outside, the people left inside the base were unknowingly condemned to a fate worse than most experienced in the Wasteland.Before they could all escape, the automatic doors leading outside locked shut suddenly. A sadistic laugh echoed all around them. Then the screams resumed.Miles and Kilo were looking down upon a target-rich environment. With the new plan, they could free fire until they were out of ammo. Rounds left the barrels of their rifles and impacted mercs in various places, most commonly center mass. As they fired down upon the seemingly endless stream of Talon mercs filing out of the facility, Gallows was next to them taking out whoever decided to fire at the two snipers.Seeing a Talon Merc break cover to fire at Reilly and Sarah's group, Miles sent a round through the brainpan of that particular merc. Beside him, his partner spoke. "Nice shot."Meanwhile, Dusk and Colvin were doing the exact same thing. As they had no primary targets, they were free to engage whatever merc that happened to get in the crosshairs of their scopes."Yo Dusk, what about a wager? I bet I take down more than you by the time it's over. 100 caps." Colvin said, pausing shortly to look over at his partner.Dusk let out a laugh, clearly believing herself to be the better, quicker shot. "You're on, Colvin. Prepare to go without beer money for the next month."Sgt. Pepper felt somewhat guilty putting down his former comrades, but he knew what he signed up for. His guilt was somewhat vindicated as the men stationed at the east watchtower were willing to give up their allegiance to Talon company in exchange for their lives. They were two of the few guys he knew that would be open to parting ways and even betraying Talon Company if it meant a better way to make a living."Alright, let's open up on 'em. They won't know it's us until it's too late." Pepper said, pulling back the charging handle on his Type 93 Assault Rifle."Sarge, we're gonna make it out of here, right? They ain't gonna kill us just for being Talon, are they?" The younger of the two, James asked. The kid was barely 20, but he was a good fighter. Used to following orders.The old Sergeant hadn't considered that. The Wanderer hadn't guaranteed the lives of his guys this time. In reality it might be the Brotherhood or the Rangers who decide it's not worth taking them in. Pushing the thought aside, he spoke to the two kids with him. "Don't worry 'bout that. Worry about keeping yourself alive."James nodded and began firing down upon his now former allies. Mason, the older of the two, had complete faith in Pepper. Joining the other two, he began reigning lead down onto the Talon Mercs below them.Seeing gunfire come from the eastern watchtower, this signaled Donovan to send Bolts up the middle. As Bolts moved forward, so did Paladin Glade. As Bolts bust through the front fence, Glade got up behind it and began mowing down those to the sides of him, the lasers burning straight through their armor and then through their flesh.Donovan set Bolts to a stationary mode, giving Glade a semi-permanent cover. A bit of pride welled up inside of him as he saw his pet project function flawlessly. Originally, Michael was going to send Bolts up the middle. With the plan changed, Donovan got to be the one to throw the metaphorical switch.Donovan then resumed firing upon the Talon mercs in front of him and his group. As rounds buried into the flesh of the Talon Mercs, he felt little remorse. Beside him, Reilly and Brick were letting rounds fly just as freely with Sarah and Vargas positioned on opposite ends, ensuring that it fire at the group is drawn to the sides meaning more chance at missing.Sarah and Vargas were the cornerstones of their formation, their Laser Rifles and Power Armor being more effective at putting down Mercs and drawing their fire, keeping the others safe. Beside Sarah, Brick went down. Reilly checked on her quickly to see that a stray round had impacted her shoulder."Pack some dirt in it and get back into the fight, Brick!" She yelled, her voice coming clearly over the gunfire. Brick winced but nodded, getting back up to resume her high-volume fire via Minigun.Back inside the facility, Michael carved a bloody path through the ranks of the Talon Mercenaries stuck inside with him. He had snuck in via Stealth-Boy and set a small, timed charge to go off on the generator. Then he crept his way into the common room and waited. As they spread out to find him, they left their new Commander wide open, only a small detachment of guards staying by his side.Before they even knew what was happening, he had already cut through two of them. As they had blindly fired at the position he had previously occupied, he used his agility and flexibility to get behind them. His impaling of two of them simultaneously elicited a scream from the new Commander, only to be silenced as Michael quickly grabbed his throat and lifted him up several feet off the ground and holding him against the wall as he quickly drew and fired his Railway Rifle at him, pinning him to the wall. Three more shots and he was dead.Some Talon mercs got back into the room quickly, but the alarm and explosion outside paired with the sight of their new Commander slaughtered like an animal created enough chaos that cutting through their ranks became child’s play.Now, he was doing what he did best. Hunting in the dark. He could hear whispers, yells, cries, and screams. He could see the fear in their eyes as they scanned the dark rooms and halls, not seeing past his cloaking, only for their fear to turn into both terror and surprise as he appeared out of thin air before them and attacked with a savagery they had never seen before. Many of them cried for mercy. Unfortunately, The Wanderer wasn't feeling like giving them any that night.Pulling his blade out of his latest victim, he scanned the area around him. Totally quiet. No whispers, no sounds of breathing, nothing. Deeming this area to be clear, he cloaked once more and made his way to the other side of the underground facility. The night was still young, and he could still sense people alive down there.It wasn't long before the ranks began breaking off to retreat backwards, out of the compound. Several groups had supposedly escaped that way. What the currently engaged Talon mercs didn't know was that Paladin Kodiak was waiting for them. After they ran past the rock he was hiding behind and had gotten just out of sight of normal eyes, Kodiak opened up on them with his Minigun. They were far enough away that the darkness would conceal their bodies, ensuring that any Talon mercenaries retreating had no reason to be suspicious of this route.On his short-range radio in his helmet, he got a transmission. "Kodiak, this is Sarah. We've got another group heading your way. Approximately 20 strong."He smirked. This was, by far, the most interesting operation he had ever been a part of. "Copy that. Stay safe out there. Kodiak out.""That makes 23" Colvin said while reloading his rifle.Dusk let out a huff before replying "You mean 22. It's your fault Brick got hit."Colvin sighed. Dusk was right. If he hadn't been trying to show off and go for headshots, he would've taken out the Talon merc before he got off a shot on Brick. "Shaddup."Dusk smirked. Getting one over on Colvin always brought out a satisfying feeling. As she let another round fly, she blushed. Although nobody in the Brotherhood knew it, she had developed feelings for her partner. Confusing, frustrating feelings. Grunting, she shifted her rifle and fired again."Please, please no! I don't deserve this!" Came the cry of a young Talon Mercenary within the facility. He was in a panic, pressed up against a wall after watching his entire group get decimated by one man.The Wanderer slowly walked towards him, a dripping blade at his side. Every step he took felt like an earthquake to the Talon merc, only fueling his terror. "I didn't sign up for this! It was just a way to make a livin' and feed myself! Wasn't meant to end like this!"The Wanderer was directly in front of him. Trying to act quickly, the merc drew his 10mm pistol. The Wanderer was quicker, pulling out his own firearm, his signature revolver, and letting out two rounds into the merc's shoulders. The merc screamed and dropped his gun. He cried, tears streaming down his face. "I don't want to die!"The Wanderer crouched down, leveling his face to the merc's. A rough hand took purchace in his jaw, as if the Wanderer were examining him. A grunt escaped the mask before the Wanderer pulled out a leather-bound book. Opening it to the proper page and turning on his PiP-Boy light, he turned the book around so that the Talon merc could see it.It was a picture of his face and a list. A list of his crimes. Twelve murders, three rapes, and several people tortured. The Talon merc's eyes widened. "No! No! They made me do it! It was to join! PLEASE! I DON'T WA-"Michael silenced the merc's screams by pushing his blade into his chest. He watched as the merc let out a death gurgle, blood rising up and out of his mouth, trickling down his chin. Turning his head, he looked towards the door he came in from."Jimmy! Jimmy, you here?"Another merc, looking for Jimmy Watkins. Perhaps his friend. "Come on, Jimmy, this ain't funn-"The merc stopped dead in the doorway, looking at the scene in the room. He saw his dead friend, a blade in his chest, and the form of a crouched Wanderer. His brain catching up, he raised his rifle and fired. "You motherfucker!"The sound of bullets hitting flesh filled the room alongside the sound of gunfire. The newcomer fell backwards, three new holes in his head. The Wanderer stood and reloaded his revolver after pulling his blade out of the other man. He chided himself; he shouldn't have allowed the merc enough time to bring his rifle up, much less fire. He looked to where the rounds impacted the floor, seeing that if he were two inches to the left, he'd be dead. Hearing additional movement, he turned off his PiP-Boy light and resumed the hunt.Back at the Ranger HQ, Theo sat alone. He'd been kept behind in the interest of keeping their current HQ secure. Still, he felt that he could've been used better in combat. He wasn't a bad shot and he knew how to handle himself. Hearing a banging at the door, he immediately changed his opinion. Perhaps it was a good idea after all. Grabbing his Combat Shotgun, he checked to make sure there was a round in the chamber and went to the door. The banging got louder and more intense.For a split second, he thought that maybe everyone was back and something had gone terribly wrong. But they would know the password to unlock the door. As the banging got more powerful, dents started appearing in the door. Theo raised his shotgun and pointed it at the door.The door swung open with one final kick of the heel, revealing a badly injured Jabasco. Jabasco's mouth hung open, not expecting any of the Rangers to be there. He had watched as the Wanderer and the Brotherhood marched in the direction of Fort Banister, hidden from view. He planned on breaking into the Ranger HQ and planting a big trap for them when they came back."Motherfu-" was all that came out of his mouth before Theo let out three rapid-fire rounds of Buckshot into him, finishing him off for good. Theo approached cautiously and kicked his feet before observing his wounds. Jabasco was seriously messed up, probably only surviving on will alone after that night."Best to make sure" Theo pulled out his sidearm and put a round into Jabasco's brainpan. Sighing, he figured he should drag the large man out of their doorway. Reilly would have a fit about it if he didn't.The final round outside of Fort Banniser was fired by Reilly, ending the life of the last Talon merc standing. Taking no chances, she ordered a full sweep of the area. Ranger and Brotherhood alike checked to make sure no Talon merc was alive."Donovan, you, Bolts, and Glade check the west. Colvin, Dusk, and Vargas, you take the east. Miles, Kilo, Gallows? South." That left her and Sarah for the North."Brick, I want you to sit tight. Anyone other than Pepper and his guys move, I want you to light their ass up." Reilly said, patting the dark-skinned woman on the back."Got it, boss. What about The Wanderer?"Reilly's face shifted to a grimace. "If he's not outside by the time we finish the sweep, I'll go in after him. Should be pretty safe."Hearing this, Brick nodded. She assumed that there weren't too many Talon mercs inside since there were 'a whole fuckload' of them outside.Pepper and his guys walked up to Reilly slowly, being sure to keep their weapons down. "So we're good, right? My boys aren't gonna get the axe?" he asked, being sure to keep his body in front of them if the answer turned out to be a 'no' followed by gunfire.Reilly sized the two newcomers up. A young kid and a man who looked to be around her age. They had come through in the clutch and betrayed Talon. Still, the fact that they were Talon left a bad taste in her mouth. "I'll leave that up to Michael. Until he comes out, you guys sit tight. Stay with Brick, she caught a round and shouldn't be up and moving until we can look at her."The youngest merc there perked up at her words. "I can look at her. I'm no doctor but I've always been the team medic." Suddenly he felt very small as both Reilly and Sarah turned to look at him. After some contemplation, Reilly nodded."Just be careful. She doesn't like Talon mercs."One hour later, Reilly and the others stood at the entrance to Fort Bannister's underground complex. Michael still hadn't come out yet. They had swept the area twice, not finding any other Talon mercs other than Pepper's boys alive."You don't think he's dead, do you?" The younger, now former Talon merc asked. His Sergeant shook his head, letting out a sigh."Nah. Kid's too tough for that. Don't matter how many people were in there. He's probably enjoying his game of hide-and-seek."James shuddered. He wasn't new to killing, but The Wanderer was the stuff of legend. He didn't want to think of what would've happened if he and Mason weren't stationed on the tower."Pepper, just how many guys did Talon have?" Reilly asked, curious as to how many were locked in with Michael.Pepper shrugged, not quite sure himself. "I dunno. I saw some numbers on Jabasco's desk before, but they might not be all that accurate. Ain't no way to know fer sure until we go in.""Make an estimate." Reilly said, clearly not happy with Pepper's answer.Pepper rolled his eyes. "Well, we've got about, what, 150 out here? Took out most of my group and Jabasco's group, and that's about another 150. If the last numbers I saw were right, there should be around another 150 in there, give or take."Brick blanched at the number, as did Reilly. "No way. I know he's good, but The Wanderer ain't a god. No way he takes out that many guys on his own in close quarters." Brick exclaimed, speaking what many present were thinking.Pepper shrugged. "You must've heard the broadcasts, too. The Wanderer is good, really good out in the open. Better than anyone. But in close quarters, he's a nightmare. He'd make a game out of hunting Talon mercs all across the metro system. After the other night I ain't gonna doubt him."Despite the Sergeant's good points, Brick still couldn't believe that the Wanderer could handle that many guys. Neither could Donovan, but he wouldn't voice his opinions on the matter. Before she could speak again, the sound of the door's locking mechanism releasing drew everyone's attention.Almost before anyone could react, the door shot open and black blur ran out. It was a Talon merc, slashed up real good. Obviously not concerned with them, he kept running. He made it about six extra yards, just a few yards past them, before a shot rang out from inside the facility and dropped him. Reilly leaned to the side, peering into the darkness. She couldn't see anything, nor could anyone else.Michael appeared then, disabling his Stealth-Boy, a revolver in his hand. He walked outside, ignoring them, and put two more rounds into the head of the merc. Turning back to them, he spoke. "Sorry about that. Didn't know you'd all be waiting for me."Many of the people present stared at him. However, their stares stopped when Reilly stepped forwards. "So, how many were in there?""138." He answered quickly.This shocked many of the people there. Not only did he take out that many people, he also kept count? Brick voiced her thoughts on the matter. "Nope. No way. There ain't 138 people in there dead."Michael shifted his head and looked at Brick lazily. Her constant disbelief was beginning to irritate him. "Technically, you're right." Brick opened her mouth to speak, but Michael stopped her. "There's 137 dead inside. This one here" he said, pointing his gun at the Talon merc he had just taken out "makes 138. Sorry to mislead you."Reilly could see where this was going. Brick still didn't believe in the legend. "Alright, well let's get our bounty. Miles, Kilo, I want you scavenging the bodies outside. Donovan, I want you to take some extra rope and tie the scavenged bodies to Bolts. It should be able to move at least ten at a time."Turning, she looked to Pepper and his boys. "You three scavenge the bodies inside. Also, count them. After that I want all the bodies pushed into that crater over there" the redhead ordered, pointing to the large impact crater left behind by a nuclear warhead."Sarah, Michael, we need to talk." Reilly finished, looking at the two of them. Both Michael and Sarah had an idea as to what it was they needed to talk about.Colvin stifled a laugh. "Ooh, someone is in trouble.""Can it, Colvin." Dusk replied, though she agreed that the situation between those three must be complicated at the very least.Vargas took charge, nodding to Sarah. "Alright everyone, we're on security detail until they get this place mopped up. Move!"In the back, Kodiak sighed. He hated security detail. He hated it with a fiery passion.Michael, Sarah, and Reilly stood around the front gate to Fort Bannister. They all knew this topic was going to come up sooner or later, but neither Michael nor Sarah expected it to come up this soon."I figure we're all adults here so I'm not going to pussyfoot around" Reilly started "I'm sure you both know what this is about."Sarah nodded slowly while Michael shrugged slightly. "I figure this is about him," Sarah began, pointing to The Wanderer, "and us. So I can only assume at this point you two have already slept together."Reilly's face quickly changed color to match her hair. Though she was one of the toughest women in the entire Capital Wasteland, she couldn't help her bashfulness. "Yes. And pretty much everyone we both know, knows about you and Michael being somewhat of an item as well."It was Sarah's turn to blush. In the back of her mind, she wished she had kept her helmet on so neither of them could see. Pouting slightly, she spoke "It's not even fair. Those rumors started before he and I even-" Sarah stopped herself, unable to continue that line of thought as Reilly burst out laughing. This in turn caused Sarah to laugh and even Michael to chuckle a bit.After calming down and regaining her composure, Sarah resumed speaking "So, yeah. We've both slept with him. What now?"This surprised Reilly. In the past, Sarah was possessive of anything she deemed as 'hers' and would fight to keep whatever it was she wanted. She assumed that it would be the same with Michael."Well, I can't say this is something I've dealt with before. I suppose this isn't something we can just play rock-paper-scissors over."This elicited another chuckle from Sarah. Reilly was right, though. They both knew that The Wanderer belonged to the Wasteland before he belonged to either of them. He wasn't something that could be bartered, traded, or exchanged. As if thinking on the same wavelength, they both turned to Michael, looking at him expectantly."Well?" they said together. For a short moment, Michael felt like he had entered an alternate reality. Choosing his words carefully, he spoke."This is a pretty strange situation. For the longest time, I felt alone in the Wasteland. I lost my home, then my father, and then I almost lost you," he paused, taking Sarah's hand in his "In a way, I felt like I did lose you. There wasn't any sign that you'd wake up. So I took the fight to the Enclave. When I was standing on top of that self-destructing Land Crawler, I thought that I was done.""But then I saw the Vertibird. And I saw you. That's when I knew that I wasn't done, and I still had something, someone to fight for. And that night was the first night I slept soundly since I got out of the Vault" Michael squeezed her hand, assuring that she felt it. "And then I had to go. There was a lot I still had to do. Even still, there's a lot of work for me to do now. I spent a long time away. You know that. Every day, the thought of you kept me sane. Kept me from losing my mind out there"He let go of her hand and nodded out towards the Wasteland. The three of them knew that too much time alone in the Wasteland had nasty effects on a person's mind, and it seems the Wanderer wasn't exempt from that."I came back a few times over the past few years. Allowed myself some rest. Recharged my batteries with you. But I could never -can never- stay for too long. So, I always go back out. When I first found Reilly, I had just gotten back from The Pitt."They both knew of The Pitt. Sarah was just a child when her father lead the Brotherhood through there. She knew that Michael had gone to The Pitt several times. But hearing that he made that trek alone never made her feel good. Even the train tunnel is a long, dangerous journey, even for an entire Brotherhood Platoon in Power Armor."I went to Underworld to drop some supplies off and crash for the night. But when I went to speak to the Doctor, I saw Reilly" He took her hand now, looking into her eyes. "You were beat up pretty badly. Quite honestly, it was a miracle you survived. So I stayed to treat you" Reilly gasped, not before having heard that Michael was involved in her recovery. "Barrows knew that I had some medical experience. So he put me in charge of you. Just over a week, I took care of you. Then you woke up and wanted my help. I couldn't turn you down."He let go of her hand, thinking back to that day. "I don't know what it was about you, but I felt drawn to you in the same way I was drawn to Sarah. And you know the rest. Even after I let myself slip and got Butcher killed-" Reilly winced. She didn't blame him for Butcher's death. He knew that, but he put the blame on his shoulders anyways. "-you didn't yell. You didn't blame me. You just wanted to be held. You needed to feel safe, and in doing that for you, you helped bring me back. Until then, I wasn't how I am now. What I had to do in The Pitt changed me, and it wasn't for the better."Reilly and Sarah didn't know what he was he had to do, but they weren't going to ask. Not now. If it got under his mile-thick skin, it was obviously pretty bad. But it must have been necessary, otherwise he wouldn't have done so."But you brought me back from that. So, if you two are wanting me to choose one of you, I can't. You're both important to me in ways that neither of you can begin to comprehend. You two are the reasons I can still consider myself human. If it weren't for you, the both of you, I probably wouldn't be here now. If I were to lose either of you, the only two people I care about, then.." He didn't continue. There was no need to, and he didn't want to continue that line of thought. Sarah and Reilly didn't expect this to be his response. Michael was many things, but what he wasn't was emotional. At least, he wasn't up until now. They could both feel the sincerity in his voice."Well then you don't have to choose." Reilly said. She understood. Michael was using them both as the foundation to keep his humanity. Sarah understood as well. She wasn't planning on trying to make him choose between them.He looked at them both, a genuine smile on his face. "Thank you. Both of you.""I suppose a love triangle might be fun." Sarah said, causing Reilly to spit out the water she was drinking.That evening, everyone left alive from the assault on Fort Bannister was gathered in the common room. They had worked tirelessly in cleaning out the fort of the bodies and blood. Even Sarah and her Pride had helped after her discussion with Reilly and The Wanderer. Now, they stood in a circle."So, what do you guys think of your new HQ?" Sarah asked, looking to the Rangers.Reilly was quiet for a moment, mulling over the details. "I suppose Talon kept the Fort from falling into complete disrepair. It'll take some work to get the smell out, but I guess you shouldn't look a gift brahmin in the mouth."The other Rangers muttered in agreement. It was a vast improvement from their HQ in the ruins of DC. Out here, they wouldn't need to worry about some super mutants getting smart and following them home. No need to set traps for stray Centaurs. Of course, Fort Bannister had it's own problems. Above ground, it was pretty wide open. It was also quite a ways away from most important landmarks and settlements. That meant longer treks for supplies and jobs. In addition to that, it meant that they were more exposed should an attack come upon the fort.Of course, the fort has vast amounts of room. More than the current Rangers could use. That meant they could start recruiting without worrying about having space to house their new prospects. Plenty of beds in the bunk rooms supplemented the corridor which housed individual rooms, almost all set up with larger beds and furniture reminiscent of studio apartments or deluxe hotel rooms of the pre-war world.They also now had a surplus of equipment for their future recruits. Plenty of ammo, armor, weapons, and other gear. In addition, they had accumulated a mass of caps both from scavenging the bodies and Jabasco's safe, which held all the caps that came from the jobs they've completed that didn't go to the people who completed them. They had already given both James and Mason, Sergeant Pepper's boys, their signing bonus and payment for their assistance in the assault.The smell of food hit the noses of everyone in the room as Michael entered, a large tray full of different meats, fruits, vegetables, and even noodles on each hand. "First order is up. Next one should be done in a few minutes." He said, placing the food on the large table in front of them. While Sarah knew Michael was a good cook, it came as a surprise to the others. They looked at the bounty before them for a short moment before, one by one, they picked something out to eat for the first time that day. Nodding, Michael went back to the kitchen. Talon left behind a fully working kitchen and stocked larder and he intended to get a good amount of use out of it today.Even the Brotherhood soldiers present ate, having exited their power armor frames to do so, the T-45d and T-51b armor facing the wall, standing freely. "Damn, The Wanderer knows how to cook." Dusk said, voicing the thought on everyone's mind as they dug in. It was true, back in Vault 101 Michael had learned how to cook for Amata, having taken private cooking lessons from both his Father and Jonas, his father's assistant.Michael re-entered the room with two more trays full of food, placed them on the table and took a seat in-between Reilly and Sarah, an action that didn't go unnoticed by anyone at the table. "So what's the plan concerning the DC compound?"Reilly swallowed a bite of Brahmin steak before answering "For now we'll just have to lock it up and hope nobody breaks in. This place needs more people stationed here before we can even think of manning both facilities. There's no telling how many more Talon mercs are out there on their way here."Michael nodded in agreement. It was a good call. "You planning on doing a recruitment drive? I know a few people that might be up to joining across the Wasteland."Reilly took some time before answering, looking down to her plate. "I was hoping, actually" she began, still looking at her plate "that you'd be taking that position I offered. That by itself would help recruitment quite a lot."Several people at the table looked up in both surprise and interest. What was she talking about? What position? Did she ask him to join? Internally, Michael sighed. He had hoped that she wouldn't approach this topic with anyone else present. His reasoning for turning down the offer the first time still stood. He needed to be out there in the Wasteland. He still wasn't good with groups. All those simulated months he spent in Anchorage, the basic training, the special ops training, even the officer training didn't change the fact that he was the Lone Wanderer.However, before he could answer one of the new members of the Rangers spoke. "Wait. The Wanderer is actually a part of the Rangers? This ain't just a mutual benefit sort of thing? That's so fuckin' cool." James said, a broad smile on his face. Across the table, Pepper had his face in his palm. The kid meant well, but he had no tact. None. Not even a little.Next to Michael, Sarah leaned in and whispered in his ear. "You know, you're technically a Brotherhood Paladin. A member of the Pride, just below myself and Vargas. That fact alone has helped drive our own recruitment. The same would probably help the Rangers. Maybe even more so if people knew you were one of the two leaders of the group."Michael sighed. So, as he feared, Reilly and Sarah had spoken of this during the cleaning of the fort. Whispering back, he responded. "Yeah, and I'm also technically a member of the Outcasts. And the Family. But you know as well as I do that Reilly doesn't want me to technically be a leader."Next to Michael, the redhead in question could hear the whisperings of the two. She figured that he might not feel up to it, or that he might say he can't be tied down like that would make him. Still, she held out hope that, at least on some small level he'd be her partner in leading the Rangers."Listen, it's not that I'm not honored. But I travel a lot. It's what I do. Even I can't be in two places at once." Michael said, no longer trying to whisper as the other people at the table were staring. Hearing this, James' expression dimmed considerably."... Well, maybe you don't have to. Be in two places at once, I mean. What I'm getting at is that you don't have to be chained to a desk or anything like that. You don't even have to go out on jobs with everyone else. But you know things we don't. You obviously have some advanced training that even the Brotherhood is lacking in-" This remark brought a scowl from Vargas "and if we're going to be a force fighting for a better world, or at least a safer Wasteland, we need every advantage we can get." She paused, poking at what was left of her meal. In a small voice, she continued."I'm not asking you to be by my side every day. But you could offer us something nobody else could. And, in turn, you'd always have a home to come back to and people who are more than happy to go to war for you-" Now, it was Brick who was scowling. Even with all the Wanderer has done for them, she still held resentment for the man behind the legend. "and I know you have that all across the Wasteland. Megaton, Rivet City, even the Brotherhood. All good examples of people that you've helped and that can help you in return when you need it. But here, you can help train people. Make it so you don't always have to be on the road. Give the Wasteland a group of people that can react to Raiders, or super mutants, or whatever, without having to hope you're in the area to always protect them."Michael could see her point. More well-trained people with a decent moral compass as a guide would mean less time spent on what he believed to be minor problems. Less time spent on Raiders and super mutants, more time spent on actually rebuilding and retaking the Wasteland. Still, he wasn't sure about this. The Brotherhood was, more or less, what Reilly was envisioning. Although with more restrictions on reaction time, deployment time, and recruitment.The more he thought about it, the more it began to make sense. Where the Brotherhood was a slow, heavy fighting force almost constantly engaged in the high-danger zones of the ruins of DC, the Rangers could be a quicker, larger reactionary force. At a large enough scale, it could be comprised of hundreds, or even thousands of individuals. They might not be as well-equipped or armed as the Brotherhood, but it would help take the pressure off Elder Lyons' desire to protect the people of the Wasteland. Give the Brotherhood more room and allow the people of the settlements to always have a well-trained task force to protect them should a force similar to the Enclave ever come knocking again.He thought back to the rumors he heard about the West Coast. An entire civilization that had moved past the apocalypse. Cities full of people that weren't primarily concerned with making it from day to day. A governmental system set up that has its own military which protects both its people and it's land. A little bit of the old world doctrine protecting the new world."I mean, it's not that the Brotherhood aren't a force for change, but they're tied down in DC because of-""I'll do it."Three simple words stopped almost everything at that table. Nobody present, not even Sarah thought he'd agree to it. In fact, the only person still eating was Pepper, who was too hungry to care about things above his paygrade."I'll do it," he repeated "but there's a few conditions.""Name them." Reilly said quickly, a brilliant smile on her face."Firstly, we're partners. Full partners. Fifty-fifty. No more, no less. I don't want our future recruits second-guessing me." He said, Reilly's smile causing his own "Secondly, we establish a proper chain of command. What you have now works okay for a small group, but in the future it wouldn't work."Reilly nodded, agreeing to the first two conditions. "Thirdly, we'll need to inform both the Brotherhood, Outcasts, and the settlements of our planned expanded operations. I don't want to blindside anyone. I don't want any reason for our guys to be turned away or shot at for no reason."Reilly knew he had a point. If they suddenly expanded into a large force, it'd put a lot of people on edge, especially the Outcasts. While they weren't hostile to the Wastelanders, they weren't overly friendly either. A group of ten heavily armed mercs approaching a settlement would also, if not warned prior, provoke a potentially hostile reaction if their intention wasn't clear. They themselves had experienced that when they first formed. If it weren't for Sheriff Simms, Megaton might've fired on them."Lastly, everyone who joins and everyone already in adheres to a strict training regimen. Brotherhood Training is nice and all, but you were trained to fight slow and heavy, relying on weapons and armor. While that in itself isn't terrible, we won't be able to outfit everyone in Power Armor. So I'll have to teach you all what I've learned in a short amount of time so you, in turn, can teach others."Once again, The Wanderer had a point, much to Brick's chagrin. He somehow had attained a substantial amount of training to go with his experience. He was faster, stronger, and smarter than everyone in the room and they all knew it. But the fact that he was offering to personally train them was a surprise."I'm no fool. I won't be around forever. I don't want what I've learned and experienced to die with me. Until a few minutes ago, I didn't even know I already had a way to impart people with the training they need in the same way I was trained."Now they were curious, even the Brotherhood present. How was he planning on training them? How was he trained? "Wait. Back up. What are you talking about? How were you trained?" Colvin asked.Michael smirked. "This PiP-Boy isn't just for show. It allows direct interface with almost all pre-war technology if you have the know-how. In DC, the Outcasts have a bunker. It was full of pre-war tech. I opened it by completing a VR simulation."Kodiak gawked. "So you gave them access to tech by, what, playing a game?"The Wanderer's expression turned grim. "Not exactly. The simulation itself went on for months. I felt everything that happened. I received basic, advanced, and special operations training. In addition, I went through officer training that clued me into battlefield tactics and strategy. Then I fought in a simulated Anchorage, Alaska." He grimaced, remembering the pain he felt."It was extremely painful. If I was shot, I felt it. If I was stabbed, I felt it. I might not have been bleeding in that pod, but it was real enough. If I died in that simulation, I would've died in the real world, too."Sarah's eyes widened. She had a run-in with a few Outcast members a few years ago that spoke of somehow getting access to a load of tech, but she passed it off as a lie. Now she knew it must've been the result of what Michael had done."So, what? We're gonna walk up to the Outcasts and say 'Hi, can we use your game to train everyone we recruit' and hope they're okay with it?" Brick asked, clearly not buying into the idea.Michael pointed to his PiP-Boy. "No. You'd need one of these to get it to work, anyhow. It links to your nervous system the first time you put it on. But I have the program itself. I can modify it at a terminal to suit our needs. Make it less intensive and focus more on teamwork." He smirked again "In fact, I even have the VR pods I need. I can train up to 12 people at a time, all in the same simulation, with myself present or a virtual representation of myself if I'm elsewhere."Sarah was stunned. She had no idea that Michael had access to such advanced technology. "Where are the pods located?"Michael's next words came out quietly. "Vault 112. Where I first found my father after leaving Vault 101. Originally, it was an experiment set up by a scientist. Eventually, he became corrupt. The pods sustain life indefinitely. He was over 200 years old, as was everyone else present. I had to kill him to get my father out of the pod when he went in looking for the location of a G.E.C.K. This caused everyone else to die. Still, the pods are usable, and I can reprogram its purpose easily. Plenty of PiP-Boys for anyone taking the training.""In fact, Vault 112 would work as a compound for the Rangers fairly well. Plenty of room. Actual rooms, beds, a kitchen, dining room, doctor's office. The works. It's main chamber is where the twelve pods are. The Overseer's office is where the control pod is located."This revelation was new to everyone else at the table. None of this was told by Three-Dog on the radio. For good reason, too. Access to a Vault is something that many in the Wasteland desire, from a jet-addicted raider to the Brotherhood itself."That's another thing. When we expand, we can't be housing our troops in easily accessed areas. We need to have areas that can be locked down and protected if we have another event like the Enclave Invasion happen. There are several other Vaults that we can use and quite a few forts. Scattered enough to give us good coverage in the future."Michael turned to Sarah, looking at her intensely. "I can give the Brotherhood the coordinates to these locations and access to them, as well. Freedom to come and go as you please. I've got caches of weapons, armor, and supplies in all these locations. In return all I ask is that you keep it within the Brotherhood. I don't want the Outcasts banging on our doors in the future."Sarah nodded. He was entrusting them with a lot. Michael brought up his PiP-Boy and wrote down the coordinates and necessary passwords to the locations on a piece of paper. Handing it to her, he squeezed her hand. She knew what it meant. He was trusting her, and in turn trusting the entire Brotherhood. That set quite the responsibility on her shoulders."In the future, I want the Brotherhood and Rangers to work together. No sub-contracting bullshit. A real, honest working relationship between the two groups. I'm hoping that you all will help that happen."Everyone at that table knew that was a huge task. Historically, the Brotherhood never worked well with others. In fact, Lyons' chapter was an outlier. Typically, the Brotherhood were much more like the Outcasts, a secluded bunch that trusted very few and didn't play nice with others."Alright. I'm stuffed." Michael said, standing up from the table. "Sarah, you and the Pride should stay the night. You don't want to be caught off-guard this far away from DC."Sarah nodded. She wasn't planning on leaving that night, anyways. She had a few things to take care of before leaving."You're all welcome to any of the beds or rooms that aren't occupied. Personally, I'll be taking room 7 at the end of the first corridor of rooms." Michael said, stretching his sore body. With that, he left them, retiring to his newly claimed room. For a few minutes, everyone left at the table participated in small talk. Colvin bragged about beating Dusk in their bet with Dusk saying that he only won by two, Miles and Kilo spoke to Kodiak, and Vargas about recent goings-on in the Brotherhood. Glade and Brick swapped details on their weapon systems. Pepper and his boys spoke with Donovan about Bolts, never before having seen such a heavily modified Sentry bot.Sarah and Reilly shared a look before both excusing themselves from the table and leaving. Colvin tried to make a witty remark, but an elbow in his side from Duck kept him quiet. What they did on their own time was their own business and nobody else needed to butt into it.Michael was busy drying off from the shower when he heard his door open and close. He figured it must've been someone who didn't look at the number on the door. When he exited the bathroom, however, he stopped dead in his tracks.There, in his room, stood the two most beautiful women he's ever seen in his life, side-by-side. Not only were they in his room while he was in little more than a towel, they were in a similar state of undress, the only thing covering their bodies were small bits of underwear. A familiar feeling of lust spread throughout his body, creating a tent in the towel.Sarah walked forward slowly and deliberately, swaying her hips for added effect. She pressed her body against him and planted a kiss directly on his lips, her breasts pressing against his chest, allowing him to feel her hardened nipples. He responded in kind, grabbing her quickly and returning the kiss.After a few moments, they came apart for air. Reilly joined them, her body pressing to his side as she kissed him. He wrapped an arm around her waist as she leaned into him. After their passionate exchange, Reilly and Sarah shared a look.Michael watched as the two most important women- the two most important people in his life shared a kiss similar to the two just had by himself moments ago. They broke apart and looked at him, equally lustful looks on their faces.Sarah spoke, a sultry grin coming to her lips. "Like I said. A love triangle might be fun."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Michael’s Rangers
Chapter VII: Convalescence
"He's waking up." A voice said, muffled by a hazmat suit helmet. Footsteps quickly followed. "Brainwaves are stable again. Looks like our patient is finally coming out of his coma." The man in question was inside a cylindrical tube, immersed in fluid. As his eyes slowly opened, he could make out certain shapes as several of them passed by his, for the lack of a better word, tank. He felt sore, sorer than he ever felt before. His muscles and bones practically hummed at him. As he began to gain control of his body and mind, he noticed his surroundings. He was underwater. At first, he panicked. Soothing voices calmed his mind as the people outside the tank noticed his sudden flailing.The man could still breathe. Wait, breathe? Underwater? That didn't make any sense. He noticed then a mouthpiece was fitted to his head, allowing him to breathe. His eyes focused slowly as he took in more of his surroundings. He was in some kind of lab, though he wasn't sure who it belonged to. Then, among the muffled voices thanks to the tank, he heard one sentence clearly. "Get the Colonel, he'll want to speak to our patient once he's out of the tank."Colonel? What Colonel? His mind was hazy at best. Before he could ponder on this more, a loud buzzing sound was heard from outside the tank, followed by the water or whatever it was being drained through the floor of the tank. As the liquid reached a level to where he wasn't floating anymore, he tried to stand, only for his legs to fail him. He felt weak and his inability to stand proved as much. The last thing he saw when upright was a door directly in front of the tank opening. Then, more voices came, no longer distorted by the water as well as the thick glass. "Colonel, it's good to see you. As you can see, our patient is finally awake."Patient? Whose patient was he? Who was this man and why did they address him as 'Colonel' and for what reason did they take him on as a patient?"Is he aware of his surroundings? Is he lucid?" The new voice came, the Colonel's voice."Yes sir. According to the brainwaves he's completely lucid right now, though I can't say for sure whether or not anything will make sense to him at the moment. We've yet to figure out what all he remembers." The same voice as the first. He must be the one in charge of the lab, and the Colonel must be in charge of him.More footsteps. He tried to raise his head, but he couldn't move it much. There wasn't much strength in his body at all, it seemed. He laid there on the floor of the tank in the fetal position, the breathing mask still firmly attached. From his slightly altered position, he could see the feet of the people in the lab. All but one of them had cleanroom suits on. He figured that the Colonel must be the pair of boots."Alright. Finish up here and have him in a wheelchair before I get back. I need to prepare to speak to him.""Yes sir, Colonel."Suddenly, he felt very tired. He could feel his body and mind succumbing to sleep once more.A loud moan escaped Sarah's lips as she descended down Michael's erect member. It had been months since the last time they had been together. Sarah could feel his hands on her hips, gripping her, pulling her further down. She knew he would have moaned as well, but his face was currently buried in Reilly's cunt. Reilly faced Sarah, allowing them both to explore each other's bodies with their hands as they were on top of Michael.It wasn't the first time they had done sexual things together, though Michael's presence did make it a first as they had never been with each other and a man before. It was also a first for Michael, who had never been with two women at once. In fact, he'd only been with three women total.A loud sigh escaped Sarah's mouth as she finally got the last few inches of Michael's cock inside of her. He filled her so completely, so perfectly. For a few moments, she did nothing but sit there, trying to once more adjust to the feeling of something so massive being inside of her. Michael wasn't her first, but he put those who came before him to absolute shame. Then, she started to move. She heard as he had to pause pleasuring Reilly to let out a groan.Her eyes traveled from where his face was, up Reilly's perfectly taut, hairless body, over the mounds of her breasts, and finally looked her in the eyes. Neither of them felt anything but love for the other in that moment. They came together then, their lips connecting and tongues colliding. A series of gasps, moans, and groans filled the room as they all began to move together.It wasn't long before Sarah's first orgasm struck. Reilly's whispers of encouragement further sped the process up. Her legs shook, her tight, moist walls clamped down on Michael's cock, and she cried out in absolute bliss. She opened her eyes just in time to see Reilly smiling at her before the redhead's first orgasm of the night hit. Michael's face became drenched in her juices as she squeezed her thighs around his head. Were he a lesser man, his head might have been crushed. Of course, if he were a lesser man he wouldn't have these two lovely ladies as company.It wasn't long until a change in position was called for, as Michael had yet to cum. Sarah quickly found herself under Reilly's body facing the opposite direction, looking upward as Michael got into position behind her. The Sentinel had a perfect view of the joining. She watched in wonder as he pressed the head against Reilly's opening and pushed. She could see the Ranger's cunt stretch to accommodate such a large object as it finally broke through and was further amazed as a seemingly endless length pushed into the woman above her. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he was fully sheathed inside. A long, drawn-out moan came from the redhead as she was once more filled with Michael's cock.That's when she felt a pair of lips and a tongue on her clit, courtesy of Reilly. Reilly felt Sarah return the favor when she felt a tongue at her and Michael's joining. Then, Michael started to move. He was slow and gentle at first, fully aware of his size, but quickly picked up the pace. Soon enough, he was pistoning in and out of her with almost his entire length, leaving only the head inside. She could feel every inch, every slight bump, every blood-filled vein as it repeatedly filled her again and again. Each time he slammed home, she could feel the tip poke at the entrance to her womb, causing her to cry out in pleasure.It wasn't long until Reilly was cumming again thanks to both Michael and Sarah. This time however Michael also came, filling her tight depths with his hot, sticky essence. There was so much that it leaked out around his cock, which Sarah greedily took for herself. Reilly slumped forward, her rear end still in the air, pulling herself off of Michael's cock. Once his entire length left her Sarah's tongue replaced it, searching for more of the delicious fluid.Sarah positioned herself behind Reilly in nearly the same position as her, wiggling her hips at Michael, who she knew would still be hard. For a moment she had to stop eating Reilly out to cry out as Michael filled her pussy once more, grabbing her hips and pushing in roughly. After all, she did like it rough as much as she liked it gentle.He woke up again, this time in a small, dark, metal room. Clearly, he was in some kind of underground bunker. He was also in a wheelchair that had seen better days. The air was stagnant and smelled of metal. Across from him was a desk, which looked to be in much better condition than the room itself. In fact, everything on the desk was in pristine condition. Pens, documents, a terminal, and even a tri-fold pre-war American flag in a wood and glass case.The sound of a hydraulic door opening caused him to turn his head. A man walked into the room, cloaked in a heavy looking tan trench coat, under which was a dark uniform. Clearly, he was part of some military. What military he didn't know. His mind was still foggy, as if his entire memory was jumbled. He sincerely hoped that this man could tell him what the hell was going on."I see you're awake" the man, known only by his rank of Colonel, said. "I hope you're not too uncomfortable. Things have been fragmented around here lately" The Colonel sat down in his seat, pouring a glass of fresh, clean water and handing it to him. The image of clean water caused some images to flash in his mind, but it was gone as quickly as it came.He drank from the glass greedily. He felt like he hadn't had a drink or meal for years. "I'll have some food delivered in a bit. Firstly, I imagine you have some questions."He nodded. There were a lot of questions he wanted to ask. Where was he? Who is this man? Where did this clean water come from? What kind of situation was he in? Why was he in that tank?All of those questions were pushed aside, though. What good would knowing these things do him if he didn't know who he was? He didn't even know his own name, much less his own identity as a person. In a rough voice, he managed to croak out his question. "Wh- Who am I?"It was quick, but he could have sworn he saw a flash of a smile on the Colonel's face, before it morphed into a deep frown. "You don't remember? The people in the lab told me you would remember everything."He shook his head. "No. I can tell my memories are in there. I just don't remember them. I don't assume you know, do you?" If this Colonel didn't know who he was, he was in trouble. He didn't know why, but he knew."You're in luck, I do know. In fact, we know each other quite well. You honestly don't remember, do you?"Seeing him shake his head, the Colonel continued. "I'll start from the day we met and see if it jogs your memory. We first met in Pittsburgh, though the locals call it The Pitt. You were about to be executed by some terribly evil men in Power Armor."Pittsburgh. The Pitt. Power Armor. These words meant something to him, but he didn't know why. Pieces to a puzzle, but no box art of the final product. His head hurt. He shut his eyes tightly, trying to listen as the Colonel continued."It was you and your wife, actually" Wife? He had a wife? Yes. He knew. He was married. What was her name? More importantly, where was she? "We were there to liberate the area from these evil people. We managed to save you, but not before they had already executed your wife. I'm sorry."His wife was gone? Yes. That sounded right. Still, it didn't hurt any less to hear it. "We did all we could. Your son didn't make it either. She was in labor and we tried to save her, but the shock was too much. He was a stillbirth." Son? He had a son? He was dead? His head throbbed as tears poured down his face. The result of both the physical and mental anguish he was experiencing."After we fought them back, we took you in. Fed and clothed you. In return, you helped us. You're a scientist, trained by humanity's best and brightest. You and your wife were both from the same place. You came out into the world to help, just like us."Yes. Bits of his memory was coming back. He saw flashes of bright, white light. A huge central chamber with an elevator in the middle. Clean water and food. Cut off from the rest of the world. He went out with a team to study the open world. To help the people who were plagued by radiation."Unfortunately, no good deed goes unpunished. Somehow, they followed us to the Capital. Washington D.C. We were just days away from activating what you called Project Purity. It was supposed to supply an endless amount of pure, fresh water to the Wasteland. They came in on their Vertibirds and fought us."Project Purity. Vertibirds. Capital. Washington D.C. More and more of his memory was coming back. He remembered the feeling of being so close to finishing his largest task and falling ever so short."We couldn't get to you in time. You locked yourself in the Antechamber with one of their leaders. You activated some kind of safety protocol you designed in case of that very situation. The Antechamber became filled with a lethal dose of radiation. We managed to break in and retrieve you, but not before the effects were already set in. For the past three years, you've been in that tank, recovering. We weren't sure if you would make it."He remembered. The code was supposed to be 2-1-6. He input the wrong code, prompting the chamber to fill with radiation. He could remember another face, but he wasn't sure where it came from. A face that looked at him with extreme grief."In that time, we've been pushed back quite a bit. These evil men in their Power Armor have managed, despite our superior technology, to nearly destroy our organization. We struck one major blow against them, but it wasn't enough. Now, time is running out. It won't be long until they find this place. They destroyed Raven Rock. They destroyed our Landcrawler. Our structure fragmented, and we've had several other interior factions trying to control what happens to us."The Colonel took a drink from his own glass of water, clearly deep in thought.Suddenly, the man grabbed his head, screaming out. A flood of memories came back to him. The Institute. Traveling from one coast to the other. Pittsburgh. Washington D.C. His wife entering labor, betraying their hidden position. The men in Power Armor finding them. Trying to reason with them, only for them to execute her. Another group of people in Power Armor stopping them, driving them back. His work on his wife's dream. Project Purity. His name.He looked up to see the Colonel kneeling by his side. "I remember." He said in a shaky voice. "I remember everything."He looked up into the Colonel's face, seeing a brief flash of worry before a smile crept onto his face. "Good. Let's get you well again and we can plan on what to do next.""Thank you, Augustus. I have an idea of where we can start once I get some strength back into my limbs.""You're quite welcome, James. We all await the day we can go to war with the Brotherhood of Steel on even footing."The Colonel, Augustus, left the room. Outside, the head scientist of the lab was waiting. "Sir? Was it a success?"Augustus turned to him, smiling cruelly. "It was. As far as he is concerned, we're his saviors, the Brotherhood are the enemy, and his son was a stillbirth. Absolutely no memory of that accursed Wanderer. I suspect very soon we'll ascend beyond the strength of the Enclave at it's prime."In room 6, the room connected to room 7, which was only separated by a wall, it's occupants were having trouble getting to sleep. Because they had just liberated the fort from Talon, Vargas felt it was best for people to shack up in the same room in case any Talon mercenaries came back and got into the fort somehow. Before they could get a word in edgewise, Colvin and Dusk were the only two left.As the rest of the two separate groups noticed both Reilly and Sarah gone shortly after Michael left, they were smart to pick the rooms further away from room 7, which The Wanderer said he'd be taking. This left the rest of the rooms taken, sparing room 6. Because of it's close proximity to room 7 and the lack of proper sound muffling between rooms, the sounds from room 7 bled easily and freely into room 6.At first, it was funny. Both Colvin and Dusk found it hilarious. But when it came time to sleep, Colvin taking the couch, it became awkward. The room got extremely quiet, allowing more of the sounds from the adjacent room to flow through the thin wall. Soon enough, though, Colvin became aware of a very faint, almost liquid noise coming from the bed. Due to his near constant head entrapment within his Power Armor's helmet, causing him to have hyper-sensitive ears, he could also hear the quiet but heavy breathing coming from Dusk. The room was dark, so it was nigh impossible to see any movement without a light.Colvin's eyes widened to hilarious proportions, almost bulging out of his head. "Don't. Don't you dare. Don't even fucking think about it, you big dumb bastard" He yelled to himself within his mind as he felt his member begin to spring to life."Dusk, are you touching yourself?" Colvin whispered, trying to resist the urge to slam his head into a table for being stupid enough to ask.The room became silent once again, save for the sounds coming through the wall, a series of moans and grunts finding their way through the thin material. For a fleeting moment, Colvin both thought and wished that Dusk would pretend to be asleep to save them both some embarrassment."Yes."That did it. He was at full attention in his shorts, almost vibrating. He'd never admit it, but he found Dusk to be very attractive and even fun to be around despite their little rivalry. Over the past few years he'd developed romantic feelings for her, though he was sure nothing would come of it. Before his mind could catch up, his mouth started once again."You don't have to stop. Not if you don't want to. I won't tell."There were a few more moments of relative silence before the noises from Dusk resumed, though comparatively much less quiet this time around. Colvin shut his eyes, trying to respect Dusk while simultaneously wondering what she looked like while she got herself off. Of course he had seen her naked, the Brotherhood having little in the way of privacy, but it hadn't been in a sexual way before. At least, not while they were both sober."You can, too. If you want to. Or need to. I won't say anything." Dusk's voice came clear over the noises coming through the wall. His heart nearly stopped beating in his chest, though her next words were even more shocking. "If you want.. I can.. I can..""No. That's a bad idea. Don't mind me. Just finish up and sleep." Colvin tried not to sound like he was disgusted with the idea. He definitely wasn't. Although there were no regulations against it, and even a few encouraging it, he felt that any romantic interaction between members within a squad could break unit cohesion."Yeah. You're right. Sorry." Dusk actually sounded fairly bitter, and Colvin realized that perhaps he wasn't the only one with romantic feelings for the other. Her next words came out sultry and taunting. "You like listening to me, don't you?"
‘Fuck. Yes.’
Colvin kept his mouth shut however, feeling it's done enough harm for the night. Instead, he grunted in a reply. For some reason, that caused Dusk to grunt in a very different manner. Through the wall, they could both hear that The Wanderer was going at it again.Michael was laid down in the bed, a redhead on his right and a blonde on his left. All of them were sweating and breathing fairly heavily after their rigorous activity. None of them felt awkward or weird about it. To them, it just felt right. Though, there were questions floating around in their minds. As if he were reading those minds, Michael spoke. "So.. What now?"They both knew what he meant. It was a loaded question with so few words. They both knew that The Wanderer was, three years ago, straight out of a Vault. This meant he knew next to nothing about how romance worked above-ground. In all his years of travel, they figured he still didn't know much on the subject, despite knowing some of the Wasteland's most intimate, dark secrets.Sarah decided to be the one to speak. "Well, I guess that depends."Michael rolled his head, looking at her. "Depends on what?""On what you want," Reilly said, picking up where Sarah left off. "Neither of us will likely find a better man anywhere on this planet. I think I can speak for both of us when I say that you're the best man we've ever known and neither of us want to give you up."Sarah nodded, agreeing with Reilly. There was no doubt about it. She had already told him long ago that she'd wait for him forever. "So where does that leave us, then? Romance isn't exactly something I'm very well versed in." He said, staring up at the metal ceiling.It was true. Aside from Reilly and Sarah, Michael had only been with one other woman. Amata. That was a long time ago, though. To him, it seemed like a lifetime ago. He was a different person then. A hand grasping his still-hard cock roused him from the short, depressing thoughts."Well, I'm not too sure about that." Reilly said, lightly tugging on his member "I'd say you've done just fine so far."This brought out a hearty chuckle from all three of them. Even still, she wasn't wrong. He knew that he had somehow, despite nearly everything working against him, captured the hearts of the two greatest women he's ever known. He just wasn't sure where to go from here."Truthfully" Sarah began, her hand finding a place on top of Reilly's, both of them grasping and tugging on him at once "Polygamy and polyamory isn't as rare as you might think. It's generally accepted among society these days."Reilly picked up where she left off, almost like they had planned this. "In this kind of world, where the weak and stupid have an almost infinite ways to get killed early on in life, it only leaves the stronger and smarter men. Because of that, as I'm sure you've seen, there's a fairly large disparity in the genders when it comes to numbers."Michael nodded. He knew that there were more women than men out there, likely due to the old adage of men being the breadwinners of society, providing for their family. In this day and age, providing for your family was usually a dangerous task."While there's still a lot of women who would never share a man with others, the ratio is so skewered and it's not entirely uncommon for two, three, or even more women to share a single man." Sarah said, stopping her speech to kiss his collar bone."Usually it's sisters, or women who have known each other for a long time who end up sharing. I'm sure you've met a few of these little harems out there in the Wasteland." Reilly said, mirroring Sarah's actions.He had. Dukov was one example of such a situation. In the past three years during the times he's visited the old drunk bastard, he's seen his little stable of women grow fairly large. During his conversations with the women, it was clear that they weren't there against their will. In fact, they chose to be with him. During his quest which resulted in his donation of T-51b Power Armor to the Brotherhood, which Paladin Glade wore, Dukov traded his key to the bunker in which the Power Armor resided in exchange for him taking Cherry to Rivet City, as she wished to go separate ways.Due to Reilly and Sarah's attention to his cock, he felt his lust rising once again. His hands found their way to the girls' clits, repaying them for their service. Two near-simultaneous moans came from the girls before Sarah continued the conversation. "We spoke about it while you were inside playing 'hide-and-seek' with Talon mercenaries. We're perfectly content sharing so long as you'll have us."Sarah paused, closing her eyes and wiggling her hips to help speed up Michael's slow, torturous stimulation. The Wanderer smiled, saying "Does this mean you two are my harem?" Though he never thought about such things, he couldn't deny the excitement behind the idea. Plus, he already felt that he was bound to these two women in both heart and soul, and that this made it possible for him to one day ask for their hands in marriage together, instead of being forced to choose one or neither.Due to Sarah's groans preventing her from answering, Reilly answered for her, already having discussed this with her prior to this night's activities. "Yes and no. The two of us are most definitely not the only ones pining after you, and we expect that there will definitely be more in the future. So long as you agree, we've decided that we'll all have to pick and choose who ends up joining us, if anyone at all."This came as a surprise. To him, it was an entirely foreign concept to be romantically involved at all, much less with multiple women. Still, he realized the meaning behind her words. "So, you're both giving me the green light to sleep with and eventually wed other women?"Both Sarah and Reilly paused at his words. Although there had been no mention of actual marriage, it was something they both wanted with him. Reilly squeezed his arm tight in a sign of affection, where as Sarah took him into a deep kiss.After breaking from the kiss, Sarah answered his question. "Something like that. We both want to be involved with choosing who you end up taking along with us, but neither of us feel like we have to control you. You know what you want and you're smart enough to tell when someone just wants to fuck as opposed to someone who loves you."Michael kissed her again, never once stopping his ministrations on either woman. They held an incredible amount of trust in him. He didn't want to let them down, ever. He wasn't the type to fuck anything female on two legs, but their words told him that even if that was what he was like, they would trust him still.Suddenly, a thought popped into his head. Children. He never thought about it before. He hadn't once pulled out. What if they end up pregnant? Could he handle that? Could they? Reilly, as if reading his mind, calmed his worries by saying "Don't worry. One of the many things left over from before the war is Birth Control. You don't have to worry about us getting barefoot and pregnant any time soon."Michael exhaled in a sigh of relief. He had never thought about it before. Did he even want a child? If so, could he handle more than one? These questions fell to the wayside when Reilly climbed on top of him, quickly sinking her wet folds down on top of his already lubricated cock. He groaned in appreciation as her tight walls squeezed him. "I took a morning-after pill a few hours after our first time together. After that I went back on the standard Birth Control." She said, slowly rising and falling on his extremely stiff member.This brought great relief to his mind. He wasn't ready to be a father yet. In the future, maybe. But not now. Not wanting Sarah to feel left out, he tugged on her hand, signaling her to climb on top of him. Getting the idea quickly, she smirked as she positioned herself over his face and moaned out in approval when his tongue flicked her clit and reached into her folds.They all made love several more times that night, bringing out six more orgasms from Michael, seven from Reilly, and nine from Sarah. The combination of their lust only further fueled them individually. Were Sarah and Reilly not already exhausted from the day's fighting, it might have gone on indefinitely. They were completely unaware of the sound of their coupling bleeding into the next room, keeping it's occupants awake and in a constant state of arousal, much like they were themselves.Around a large, metal table, the scientists responsible for reviving James were looking up to Colonel Augustus Autumn as he prepared to deliver his speech. It was a small team of six, three on either side of the table. "Gentlemen," Colonel Autumn began "Today marks the date the Enclave stop this descent into irrelevance. That is all thanks to you. You not only managed to practically bring James back from the dead, but we successfully implanted false memories into his brain which makes him think we have always been his allies."The project had expended a vast amount of manpower, time, and resources. They all felt good about it finally being complete, and it succeeding. "We've come a long way. You've all sacrificed much, and had things taken from you by The Wanderer. Soon, though, we'll all have our revenge."A series of mutters and words of approval rang out from the six people responsible for reviving and brainwashing James. The Wanderer had taken a lot from them all. Out of all the current fractured Enclave factions, they were the smallest. It was them, The Colonel, some foot soldiers which weren't aware of who James was, and James himself, who was even less aware of who he truly was. "I propose a toast" he said, raising his glass of alcohol "To the future, where better, brighter days await us all!"A loud chorus of 'Cheers' rang out and they all drank their respective glasses of alcohol. All but the Colonel. The effects were nearly immediate. They looked at each other as their vision became distorted. The head scientist, closest to the Colonel, looked to the only man who hadn't taken a drink. "Why?"Then, his head hit the table with a loud thump. He was dead, as was the rest of his team. The only one left alive who knew the true identity of James was the Colonel, who then smiled a cruel smile. Yes, the Enclave would rise again. But nobody could be allowed to jeopardize the mission. That's why they had to die. They couldn't be trusted to go without making a mistake when speaking to James. He wouldn't allow it. They had already botched his memory twice before. It was pure luck that they didn't screw it up this time.The Colonel called in the foot soldiers to dispose of the bodies. Then, he gathered the meal he had prepared for James and put on a warm, welcoming face for the one man he hated more than The Wanderer, taking his meal to him. The Wanderer would pay. His father would become his pawn, and in the end, when The Wanderer is beaten and broken, as much as he wishes to be the one to pull the trigger to end his pathetic life, it will be so much sweeter to watch his father be the one to execute him.Revenge would be his, and it would be sweet."So, what's the plan?" Vargas asked, stretching his arms above his head, not used to sleeping on such soft beds.The following morning, both Rangers and Brotherhood gathered back in the Mess Hall to discuss what the plan was now that Talon has been taken care of and, technically, the Pride's mission to find and assist The Wanderer was over.Colvin and Dusk had gotten to the table later than everyone else, clearly not having slept well. Pepper, who was with both Mason and James at the far end of the row of rooms, asked why Colvin and Dusk looked like shit. Before Dusk could find a cover story for them, Colvin opened his 'big fat mouth' and said they couldn't sleep because of all the noise, which Dusk responded to by smacking him and the occupants of room 7 to blush, not having known the walls were so thin.However, James was as naive as he was unsubtle, and he asked what noise the Knight Captain was referring to, stating that it's usually pretty quiet in the fort when it's 'lights out' and their room was far enough away that they couldn't possibly hear the relatively quiet noise caused by the fort's fusion generator that far away from it.Of course, he was the only one who wasn't aware of what was going on in room 7, so he couldn't have possibly known what they were referring to. At least, that's what he claimed when Pepper had Mason take the boy aside and explain how much of an ass he just made of himself. That's when the question came out, as a way to clear the air and change topics.Michael, Reilly, and Sarah had all showered together thanks to the large showers in the rooms and had spoken on the subject beforehand. "Reilly and I will be accompanying the Pride back to the Citadel. We've got to make a few stops, but I promise it won't take long.""If you don't mind me asking, where all are we stopping?" Glade asked, hoping to know if they'd be stopping in Megaton or not. He'd been meaning to pay a visit to Megaton's eccentric shop owner, Moira Brown. She'd been working on something for him that he sent with the last supply run and was told via a letter that it was ready.For a moment, Michael was silent. Because of this, nobody was sure if he was going to answer the question, something he had a habit of doing. "Our first stop will be Megaton. Some of my weapons require ammo that nobody from Talon seems to use, and I've got a bounty to collect on. Shouldn't take more than half an hour. After that we'll head to the Citadel to drop you guys off."Vargas scowled at the way he said the last bit, making it sound like they were hapless children. However, he held his tongue. He knew better than to openly berate The Wanderer in front of Sarah, much less to the man's face."You said 'a few' stops. Megaton is only one. You going somewhere else after we reach the Citadel?" Kodiak asked, clearly interested in where The Wanderer might go next.Michael nodded. "Reilly and I need to check on Theo and escort him back here. However, they need time to pack. During that time I need to head back to the Citadel and speak to Elder Lyons and Rothchild."This piqued the attention from the rest of the group, half of which had previously been too busy eating breakfast to pay much attention to the conversation. "It's probably above my pay grade, but what're you gonna talk with the old fu- er, I mean Elder Lyons about?" Pepper asked, having to change his manner of speaking on the fly due to the present company of the Pride. Even still, he received some nasty looks for what he almost said.However, all that faded away and was replaced with shock at what Michael said next. "I suppose you'll be some of the first to know, so it shouldn't hurt to tell you" He began, pausing to finish his water "I'll be offering the Brotherhood a few hundred complete sets of Power Armor, frame and all, that they've possibly never seen before, as well as the location to several of my personal safehouses for the Brotherhood to use at any time, all of which are stocked to the brim with supplies that can be taken when needed."They sat there in stunned silence. Even when he told his plan to Sarah and Reilly, he never mentioned just how many sets of Power Armor he had. "I'll also include a fair amount of Laser and Plasma weaponry as well as some ammo."A series of questions came at him rapid-fire from those at the table, which he answered one by one. Vargas was wondering both why and how he had so many complete frames of power armor. Kodiak wanted to know just how many weapons he had and what this 'new type' of Power Armor was like. Dusk and Colvin asked when he was planning on revealing that he had such a vast amount of tech. James wanted to know if there would be any left over for them. Mason wanted to know why he was just giving it away.First, Michael turned to Vargas. "We all know that frames of Power Armor flash-weld themselves shut on operator death. However, all Power Armor comes equipped with a fairly robust computer system which allows ease of control for things like targeting systems, radio relay, and the transfer of auxiliary power between limbs.""However, that system is inherently vulnerable due to the fact that they all, from what I can tell, use the same code. Because of that, and because of this-" he said, tapping the PiP-Boy on his arm "- I can interface with it because I've established a backdoor protocol into Rob-Co software. That's how I'm able to do this." He demonstrated his point by forcing Bolts to go into shutdown mode after a few moments of flipping the knobs and wheels of his PiP-Boy.He then turned the heavily modified Sentry bot back on. "From what I can tell, even though Enclave Power Armor was developed after the bombs fell, they still use the same internal systems. This allows me to force the suits open, ejecting the operator. Then it's just a matter of hopping into the suit myself and taking it where I want."They had heard the stories of how Enclave members would be randomly forced out of their Power Armor, but they never held any stock in those claims. Not until now. The idea itself was terrifying to the Brotherhood."There are three kinds of Power Armor. You all, or most of you know this. First, there's the kind that is all one suit, one piece. You're not able to swap out parts easily, and it's kind of a pain in the ass to repair. That's the kind the Enclave use. It's big, and bulky, and it's strong,, but once it's heavily damaged, it's pretty much a lost cause."They knew this. The kinds of Power Armor he was talking about was the 'X' series of Power Armor. They had transported some suits, which the dead operator was stuck inside, to the Citadel to study, and found that it wasn't made to be fixed easily. Instead, it was designed to last, and last, and last, and if it was broken, replaced. Never fixed."Second, there's the large-frame Power Armor." He pointed to Glade's T-51b power Armor frame, which was clearly larger than the rest. "It's considered the pinnacle of Power Armor. Pre-War, anyways. Some models are slower than the third type, but it's generally much more rugged and fairly durable. It's easily modified and repaired, and you can swap out parts so long as they're for the 'large frame' type. The frame itself doesn't offer much protection, but the plating is thick and strong. It does, however, help mitigate broken legs if you jump from a high place."Glade could attest to the claim that it was more durable. The T-51b power armor was incredible in all categories. Once, he even jumped from the roof of the Citadel into the courtyard on a dare in the Power Armor, and all he suffered was embarrassment as he failed to stick the landing, as well as latrine duty for a week when Sarah found out."Then, you have the light frame type, or the 'Recon' type." He pointed to the other sets of power armor, which were clearly smaller than the rest. "Funny enough, that type is the only kind my 'backdoor protocol' doesn't work on, since it doesn't have a quick-eject function. Instead, it has a 'purge exterior armor' function. It's lighter and weaker than the other two types, but it's also faster. The Recon suit itself works as fairly robust protection, but as you know you can further that protection by adding on 'light frame' Power Armor plating. Sure, it slows you down and hampers your mobility, but you're safer."The Brotherhood was intimately familiar with both 'large frame' and 'small frame' Power Armor. Soon after they had captured the Citadel, they chose to outfit their troops with 'light frame' Power Armor as they didn't have enough spare parts to keep battling the Super Mutants with their 'large frame' Power Armor. This meant they still had some 'large frame' Power Armor in the basement of the Citadel, but since nearly every suit had been repaired multiple times, they didn't outfit anyone in it because they couldn't afford to risk the lives of their members. In fact, the only pristine condition T-51b suit they had was there in that very room.While the Brotherhood had both small and large frame T-45 armor, the Pride preferred the light-frame. Although not nearly as robust or powerful, it was adequate and in an emergency, they could purge the armor plating and make a quick getaway in their Recon suit.Michael then took on Kodiak's question, something that was much shorter to answer. "I have a massive amount of weaponry and ammo from all over. Some of it is pretty rare, and some of it is fairly common. As for the Power Armor, it's designated as 'T-60' and from what I've read on pre-war terminals, it was intended to replace the large-frame T-45, but the bombs fell before they could be shipped. A few locations deployed their units locally to combat the riots in the streets, but most of it is in storage from what I know."He sighed, remembering that even before the bombs fell the world wasn't nearly as nice as the lessons in the Vault taught when he was a child. "It's extremely similar to the T-45 in looks since it's designed by the same people, but it's mobility is a bit better and it's protection is only slightly less than T-51."Michael looked to Dusk and Colvin, who were sitting unnaturally far apart, even for them and their rivalry, but didn't say anything on the matter, instead choosing to be direct in his answer. "Up until very recently, I've worked on a series of favors. Take one here, give one there. I never really needed any other favors from the Brotherhood, so I didn't have any reason to give it out. But I'm trying to change, and I'm going to be doing things differently. Hopefully, my trust here isn't betrayed."Dusk and Colvin paled at that, as did the rest of the Brotherhood present. A betrayal of trust with The Wanderer might make him an enemy, and they were all aware in that battle they wouldn't be the winner.He then turned to James and Mason answering their questions together. "First off, yes. Even after this I'll have a vast amount of ammo and weapons, not counting what I've gathered these past few days, and a good bit of that will be going to our future recruits. Secondly, I'm not just giving it away. I'm arming my allies with something better than what they already have. You're going to have to get used to working with the Brotherhood, because like it or not I'm one of the people leading this group and they're my allies, even if I don't work with them often."The second half of his answer came much more forceful, as a reminder of who he was. Mason audibly gulped, clearly regretting the way he phrased his question. Two days ago this man would have killed him in an unimaginably painful way, and now he was sitting across from him eating breakfast.As James finished his meal, he looked to the Colonel for more answers. "How long was I in that tube? I feel like it's been more than a couple of years."Colonel Autumn spoke carefully. "4 years. You woke up once or twice, but you weren't awake for very long. You were still in critical condition and we couldn't have you freaking out."James sighed deeply. 4 years, gone. To him, it was almost like yesterday when his wife was brutally murdered by The Brotherhood of Steel and he held his dead child in his arms. The memory was still fresh and raw in his mind, and thinking about it brought great discomfort both physically and emotionally.He remembered working on Project Purity. Working with scientists and engineers, though their faces were blurry in his mind. He remembered Colonel Autumn and the Antechamber. He remembered coming so close to completing his goal."What happened to Project Purity after you saved me?""From the reports, they got it working after repairing the damage, but not as intended. They poisoned the water somehow, and although clean, it sterilizes whoever drinks it for long. They wish to eradicate the population of all who they consider mutated to further horde technology. In a century, nobody but them will be left alive in the Capital. On top of it all, they don't give it freely. Instead, they charge for it."James felt himself fill with rage. That was never the intent of the project. His wife's dream was to provide the wasteland with pure, clean water that would allow fresh, safe food to grow and plant life to once more take root. Pure water to drink and bathe in. All of this was to come freely. His hands clenched into fists and his rage caused him to shake. This wasn't how it was supposed to be."James" The Colonel's voice said in a soothing manner "I know the rage you feel. I felt it as the Enclave was systematically destroyed by the Brotherhood. We'll get our revenge, but I need your help to do it. You said you had a plan. What is it?"Autumn's mention of his plan focused his mind and the rage took a back seat. He had to tell the Colonel the plan. "The Institute. We need to go back to The Institute."It was almost noon when The Wanderer, the Pride, and Reilly bade farewell to the rest of the Rangers, telling them to keep the fort secure, putting Donovan in charge until Michael and Reilly's return. They made their trek out into the Wasteland, heading for Megaton.They were completely unaware of the coming storm.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Michael’s Rangers
Chapter VIII: Landfall
It was weird traveling with The Wanderer. Usually, when the Pride was out on patrol or on a mission, there would be a fair amount of chatter in between destinations. Though Vargas and Sarah were quick to clamp down on an abundance of unnecessary noise, they didn't mind a bit of conversation on the road. In fact, sometimes they'd even welcome it when they knew there wasn't a very large chance of being attacked.With Michael present, it was different. Their trek from Fort Bannister to Megaton had been nearly completed in absolute silence, sans the sound of power armor meeting the ground. They hadn't been attacked, though they were certain that a few groups of raiders must have seen their little party. Raiders had no qualms attacking Brotherhood when high on Jet or Psycho, no matter how outgunned they were.The Wanderer, however, was a different story. Though he was a magnet for disaster, the shadow he cast terrified people more than that of the entire Brotherhood. On their way to Megaton, they passed several caravans, guarded by mercenaries, and even they gave The Wanderer, who was up at the front of the line, a wide berth. Even the vast amount of dangerous wildlife that infested the Wasteland seemed to avoid the man. The silence was helped along by Colvin and Dusk's brief 'conversation' the previous night. Normally on long patrols there would be a good bit of competitive banter between the two of them.Megaton could be seen in the distance. The small town had grown since the defeat of the Enclave and activation of the purifier. As water caravans had become commonplace among the Capital Wasteland, more people were able to settle down further away from the purifier without worrying about having fresh, clean water. Its walls were still haphazardly put together, but now they had catwalks that were used to guard the perimeter of the town. Though attacks on Megaton weren't nearly as common as they used to be, Lucas Simms ensured that they wouldn't grow complacent. After all, he knew better than most what happened to the last settlement that had grown complacent. Tenpenny Tower was the example he put forth every time his zealous protection of Megaton was questioned.Early on in The Wanderer's life outside the Vault, he had defused the nuclear bomb at the center of Megaton and moved its uranium core to a safe location with the help of Gob, the resident Ghoul at the time. He had done so even after being offered a luxury suite in Tenpenny Tower by a man named Mister Burke. Burke nearly killed Simms and would have were it not for The Wanderer's quick reflexes. Though Simms still had a phantom pain in his shoulder thanks to Burke's suppressed 10mm pistol, the well-dressed man was dead on the ground before getting a second shot off.Afterwards, The Wanderer stormed to Tenpenny Tower to investigate. As he found out, Tenpenny Tower was inhabited by people who thought themselves better than 'wastelander trash' and as such kept said people as far away as possible. The Wanderer had run into a ghoul by the name of Roy Phillips, who, like many others, wished to be granted access to Tenpenny Tower. The Wanderer had blackmailed Allistair Tenpenny, the 'owner' of the tower, into letting Roy into the tower by giving the well-to-do man an ultimatum: Start letting people into the tower or face the wrath of The Wanderer.Though his legend was smaller at the time, he had already done a fair amount of good for the Capital Wasteland before getting to that point. As such, Allistair wisely agreed to the demands made of him. However, days later there were reports of the tower going dark over communications. The Wanderer investigated and found that the supposed 'peaceful' ghouls had killed all of the residents and moved in his 'gang'. This of course was a breach of the promise made to The Wanderer, a promise that stated Roy and his friends would not incite hostilities and, if they were on the receiving end, they would leave the tower and let The Wanderer handle it.That was one of the first times the Capital Wasteland found out what happened when you broke a promise to The Wanderer. Nobody had been spared. He left a warning for Three Dog to broadcast: Stay away from the tower. Though there had been attempts to occupy the tower, all attempts had been met with an incredible amount of firepower directed at would-be inhabitants, courtesy of an oddly patriotic Mr. Gutsy, an incredibly large ghoul known to Underworld residents as 'Charon', and a psychotic woman last seen wearing a Naughty Nightwear gown.Jericho was the first to spot The Wanderer and his party through the scope of his DKS-501 sniper rifle, as he was stationed on Watch duty that day. He alerted the people manning the gates to prepare for his arrival, as well as fetch Lucas Simms, as he wanted to be told the second The Wanderer came in vision of Megaton after hearing of his supposed miniature genocide carried out against Talon.Though the Brotherhood were no strangers to Megaton, many of those in the party were surprised when the gates had started opening despite them not yet arriving at them yet. In their experiences, people had to be right at the gates for them to open up the town. At first they thought it might be coincidence, but as they didn't see anything else coming out or going in, they knew that it was the presence of The Wanderer that prompted such. That alone spoke volumes of what those inside thought of him."I guess the Wasteland's big hero is no stranger to the red-carpet treatment" Dusk muttered after seeing no indication that this was a surprise to The Wanderer.Though she hadn't meant for anyone else to hear her, Michael's sensitive ears picked up what she said with ease. He shook his head, ignoring her seemingly sarcastic remark. His attention returned to Megaton to see it's Sheriff stop just outside of the gate, waiting for them."Alright, I've got a few extra things to take care of it seems. Go ahead and take care of any business you have here." Michael said, raising his head slightly to acknowledge Lucas Simms.Kodiak and Vargas looked to each other. The Wanderer wasn't the highest-ranking member in their party, nor was he in charge of the Pride. He was practically issuing orders to Sarah and her squad. However, they both knew better than to say anything.As if anticipating their discontent, a single 'click' was heard over their short-range radio, the radio silence signal for 'affirmative', where two clicks signal 'negative'. They looked to Sarah and she subtlety tapped her helmet, letting them know it was her and that they’d be following the Wanderer's lead. This put the majority of them at ease. Vargas wasn't one to tolerate disrespect, intentional or not, but he'd obey Sarah.Michael and Lucas Simms walked slowly into Megaton, heading for his home with Reilly and Sarah in tow while the rest of the Pride went about their own business within Megaton."I was told that you had a hell of a time 'playing' with Talon lately." Simms said, looking at The Wanderer with a knowing gaze.The Wanderer shrugged. "I gave them plenty of time to reform. They didn't."The old Regulator sighed. Though he wasn't opposed to cleansing the Capital of evil men, he knew that a good deal of people within Talon Company were just trying to get by or provide for their families. He knew that The Wanderer was aware of that fact as well. "You do a lot of good out there. More than anyone else, I'm sure. But the Regulators aren't looking upon you fondly when you mercilessly slaughter people who could have surrendered."The Regulators were a group of self-proclaimed vigilantes who sought to bring evil men and women to justice. They were known for their quick wits and deadly accuracy, as well as a sense of morality that they felt all should be able to follow and abide by. Their leader, Sonora Cruz, sought out The Wanderer shortly after they had learned that he was responsible for ending Junders Plunkett and had taken the duster of their fallen comrade who failed at bringing Plunkett to justice.She tried to recruit him, saying that he had done a great service to them and The Wasteland, but he refused. He saw them as another mercenary group with an odd habit of collecting the fingers of their high-value targets. He wasn't interested in their sense of justice, but he saw no reason to go after them, since they were, in his eyes, decent people.The Wanderer leveled a hard stare at Megaton's Sheriff, one that made the man's blood run cold. "I'm not interested in Cruz's approval. Those who could have surrendered should have thought harder before deciding to join Talon."They came to a stop outside Michael's front door. Lucas, trying to amend the situation, spoke carefully "Easy now. I didn't mean anything by it. I'm just letting you know the situation. I quit for a reason, you know.""And yet, you still wear the uniform."It was Simms’s turn to shrug. "You wear it too, over that armor of yours. Doesn't mean you're one of them, now does it?"Instead of answering, Michael turned away toward his door. He could hear shuffling coming from inside the house. "He been fed today?" he asked, changing the subject."Not yet. Creel was supposed to do it today, but he's been down at the clinic all morning puking his guts out. I told him not to try that molerat stew." Michael nodded, understanding the situation.Reilly was lost. "Uh.. Who is 'He'?" she asked. Sarah was equally confused, but it didn't show thanks to her helmet, still resting soundly on her head."Dogmeat. He gets a little grumpy if he hasn't been fed by 9 AM. You might want to get behind me.""Dogmeat?" both women asked at the same time.Their answer came quickly when The Wanderer opened the door and a brown and black blur bolted out from inside the dimly lit home. For a single moment in time, a set of sharp, snapping teeth were inches away from Reilly's throat before Michael, displaying his incredible reflexes, grabbed onto the beast's collar and yanked. Hard. There was a yelp, followed by vicious snarling.Dogmeat was, as the name suggested, a dog. A very vicious dog. "Dogmeat doesn't like strangers." Michael said, firmly holding the dog down.Reilly blinked. She had been inches away from having her throat torn out. Michael speaking brought her out of her stunned state. "Wadsworth, open up the fridge and get some molerat"Sarah's head tilted when she saw a Mister Handy robot emerge from the domicile moments later with a plate piled high with molerat meat. Dogmeat still growled at her and Reilly, his teeth on full display. He was silenced, however, when Michael growled back. A deep, monstrous growl that no human should be capable of. Then, he took the plate from Wadsworth, Michael's robotic butler, and put it right in front of Dogmeat's nose."If you want to eat today, you're going to behave yourself." Michael said. As if in understanding, the dog whined in submission. Slowly, Michael released pressure on his hold until the dog could move again. Though he still kept a firm hold on the collar, he allowed his dangerous companion to rise and begin eating his very late meal."Well, I'll leave you three to it then. Cruz is probably going to contact you soon." The Sheriff said before parting ways with them, going about his rounds.Michael didn't give any indication that he was worried. He wasn't. If he didn't fear going toe-to-toe with a Deathclaw with nothing but a switchblade, he definitely didn't fear Sonora Cruz or the Regulators.Reilly and Sarah stood there, watching as the dog consumed a massive amount of meat at a rapid pace. As if reading their thoughts, Michael spoke. "Dogmeat is practically bred to kill. A few people in town take care of him while I'm gone, but it took a good deal of time and one of Billy Creel's fingers to get him to this point." He said, patting the dog on the head.Looking at the dog closely, Reilly could tell he resembled a German Shepard with a few various mixes thrown in, which gave him a size that most dogs in the Wasteland didn't have. He had a few obvious scars on his body and one of his ears looked like it had a bullet pass through it. "He's the one Three Dog would talk about a while back, right?"Michael nodded. Three Dog, the Capital Wasteland's DJ and source of news often told people of The Wanderer's latest sightings and went into great detail. He also took creative liberties with the stories to inspire hope in people as well as put the fear of the Wasteland's messiah into Raiders and the like, not that it was necessary."Every once in a while, Dogmeat and I go out on a trip. It helps keep him sharp. When I'm not around, Jericho, one of the town's guards, will take him out to clear nearby locations that Raiders seem to flock to. He's pretty much the only person in this town who Dogmeat will listen to." Michael said, taking the empty plate and releasing the dog, knowing that he wouldn't attack the ladies now that he's been fed. He gestured for them to follow him into his home.'Home' wasn't the right word for it, however. There was nothing 'homely' about it. The shack was a standing armory. Various weapons and armor, some of which they had never seen before, were scattered around the shack in a way that screamed 'organized chaos'. Piles of ammo boxes littered the corners with various caliber markings drawn on them in chalk. The air was surprisingly clean, though it smelled of metal, gunpowder and gun oil. A complete frame of Lyons Pride T-45 stood between two lockers, the metal practically shining."Make yourselves at home. I've gotta swap a few things out and grab some ammo."Sarah marveled at the extensiveness of the armory. There wasn't a single weapon that she knew that wasn't there, and even a few that she didn't know. She walked over to one of the lockers, being careful not to trip over anything, and grabbed a rifle she’d never seen before. She looked it over closely, her gauntleted hands gliding over the metal and polymer. It had a scope and was set in a bullpup design, where the magazine was fed into the weapon from behind the trigger assembly."That's a Kel-tec RFB. Chambered for 7.62. Basically a compact marksman rifle." Michael said, glancing over at Sarah while gathering ammo for his incredibly large, strange revolver.Reilly looked down from the second story, leaning over the railing. "Where does all of this come from, anyways? Half of this stuff can't be from around here." She asked, a strange looking submachine gun in her hands.The Wanderer looked up at her. "Heckler and Koch MP5KSD. Chambered for 9mm." He said, setting down his Barrett M107 "Most of this isn't from the Capital, but some of it is. There were a few sealed crates full of weapons that I've yet to see Raiders use that I found up north, but the majority of it comes from elsewhere" He finished cryptically. This led the two other occupants of the shack to raise their eyebrows. Just what else did he have stored away?Michael went about gathering various kinds of ammo for his weapons while the girls quizzed him on different weapons that were scattered throughout his home. After a few minutes of this, they switched to the armor which was also placed around the shack.“So, what’s with that armor you wear? I’m seeing a few sets of it here, but I haven’t seen it anywhere out in the Wasteland.” Reilly asked, examining a near exact replica of what The Wanderer was currently wearing. It was black and looked to be a condensed version of the Combat Armor she and the rest of the Rangers and Talon Company would wear. Highly durable and easily patched, along with accepting all kinds of load-bearing equipment, but it was heavy. What Michael wore seemed to be both lighter and tougher, and she wasn’t sure where it came from.Michael finished loading one of several magazines for his M1A rifle, looking up at her. “This is from a long, long ways away. A group of people I came across wore this armor. They called themselves Desert Rangers, funnily enough” He paused, deep in thought, a frown appearing on his face.“They were a long way from home and were looking for some kind of bunker full of weapons that were supposed to help them win some war they had going on. It wasn’t my fight, but I helped them out once they agreed to share.”He grabbed a very old-looking revolver from a shelf and put it on the table in front of him. “The bunker was trapped. Eight of them died. Two of them survived, but barely. It took a lot of work keeping them in the land of the living. They gave me this and let me take the armor the others were wearing.”Sarah’s head tilted. “Where did they say they came from?”“The Mojave. They didn’t want to tell me all that much about the place.” Michael said, shrugging. “From the way they were talking it seemed like a warzone.”Dusk was on the catwalks attached to the walls of Megaton, looking out into the Wasteland. It was a near perfect sniping position, being up so high and there being little in the way of cover for any would-be attackers. She wasn’t thinking about that, though. Her thoughts were of the previous night and that morning. More specifically, her thoughts were of Colvin.She wasn’t a fool. Dusk was fully aware of the tension between them long before the previous night. It was practically as thick as Power Armor. It had been that way ever since the night after The Wanderer had destroyed the Landcrawler.The Brotherhood celebrated, and a massive amount of alcohol was involved. She and Colvin had gotten competitive over something that she couldn’t remember while they were inebriated, and that had led to one of the best nights of her life, as well as one of the most awkward mornings. She and Colvin woke up in his bed in a mess of tangled limbs and sheets, smelling of booze and sex. She could still remember the feeling of soreness between her legs she had that morning.Nothing was said. Not really. She dressed quickly and left his room before any real conversation could take place. Afterwards, they had a silent agreement not to talk about it. Not talking about it seemed to be a mistake, but it was well past the point of no return for both of them by the time they had realized such. Kodiak had made comments about the tension between them, but generally the rest of the Pride ignored it.Her grip on the rifle in her hands tightened. She had told herself that it was a mistake. That it only happened because they were drunk. She knew that was a lie that she told herself to feel better about their situation. The real mistake was not talking about it afterwards. She was too scared to do that. She didn’t want to be seen as something less than ‘Knight Captain Dusk’ in the eyes of the Brotherhood. She couldn’t risk her station being compromised due to personal feelings.“Something on your mind?”Dusk turned to see Paladin Vargas, the Pride’s second-in-command. “No sir. Just waiting for the order to move out.”Vargas nodded, sharing her view of the Wasteland from the catwalk. For a long moment, they stood there in silence before Vargas spoke up. “Dusk, I’ve never felt the need to remind you of what the Brotherhood expects of you” he said, turning to face her. “You’ve never done anything to warrant that kind of talk. I don’t expect to need to do so in the future.”Dusk turned to her senior “Sir?”“It’s not my place to judge what you do in your personal time, Dusk. Nor is it Sarah’s, or Elder Lyon’s for that matter. There are no rules as to what you do on your own time.”Her eyes widened. What was he saying? Did he think something happened between her and Colvin last night? “Sir, I assure you, nothing hap-“ Vargas raised his hand, silencing her.“Let me finish, Dusk.” Vargas said “It’s not our place to limit what you do on your free time. Likewise, it’s not our place to tell you how stupid you’ve been being” This came like a slap to the face. Dusk wasn’t sure what Vargas was saying.Vargas sighed, looking back out into the Wasteland. “It’s definitely not my place to say that you’re clearly putting yourself in a position you don’t want to be in due to fear. It’s not my place to tell you that whatever your fear is, it’s completely unfounded.”Dusk started understanding what he was saying. “However, if it were my place, I’d tell you to stop. I’d tell you that you have nothing to prove. I’d lock you and Colvin in a room for a week. But, it’s not my place. So I can’t say or do that.”As Dusk finally unraveled the riddle placed before her, she spoke quietly. “Thank you, Sir.”“So, why not just have the robot feed Dogmeat?” Sarah asked, watching the dog out of the corner of her eye as it carefully observed the two women.Michael's response came first in the form of a chuckle. “Well, we tried that already. That's when I had to go scavenging for Mr. Handy parts.”As if on cue, Wadsworth floated down the stairs “Mr. Michael's canine friend seems to have an aversion to me. I've been told not to take it personally as Mr. Michael has informed me that Dogmeat has equal distaste for other robots.”Reilly looked to Michael for confirmation and she got a shrug. “Don't ask me. I don't know where he gets it. He's the one who clued me into Harkness.”Reilly and Sarah both knew who Harkness was. A very serious, very professional, very strict security guard at Rivet City. He was also the 'person' of interest regarding a missing person case. Dr. Zimmer was looking for an escaped and malfunctioning android. The trail eventually led to Rivet City's security chief.Sarah grimaced, recalling the Three Dog's report on the situation. Michael had decided not to turn Harkness in, but used what was called an 'activation code' that unlocked his previously sealed memory, allowing the synthetic man to remember who he was, as well as return access to all of his combat protocolsThey decided to wait it out. According to Harkness, the search likely wouldn't last much longer before Dr. Zimmer was commanded to return to The Institute. Unfortunately, in that time Dr. Zimmer had found out who Harkness was. It was mostly unfortunate for Dr. Zimmer and his bodyguard, a 'Courser' – the same model of synthetic person as Harkness – when they tried to make a move on the security chief, as Michael was there that day unloading some weapons at Flak 'N Shrapnel's.According to Dr. Zimmer and Harkness, Coursers were designed to be elite killing machines. Supposedly, they were able to take down a Deathclaw in hand-to-hand combat. “The best that ever were or will be” so said Zimmer.In little over a minute, Dr. Zimmer's bodyguard, Armitage, was utterly destroyed. The scene was said to look like what happens when a Behemoth steps on someone. Michael then executed Dr. Zimmer before Harkness could get in a word edgewise. He wasn't arrested, of course. He was The Wanderer. What were they going to do, ask politely?Sarah looked to Dogmeat, catching his eyes. They were practically the same as Michael's in what she felt when she looked into them. Only on the outside was he a dog. Inside, he was every bit the demon Michael was, only on a smaller scale. His eyes held intelligence not seen in even most humans. But as much fury as they held, they were equally protective.She lost the staring contest.James and Colonel Autumn were standing on the roof of the Commonwealth Institute of Technology ruins, looking out upon the wasteland known as 'The Commonwealth' with a sense of accomplishment. Though they still had a long way to go, it was a large step.They'd managed to keep a fairly low profile since entering The Commonwealth. Aside from a few incidents involving the largest local mercenary group known as the 'Gunners' they've flown under the radar despite the small entourage of Power Armor wearing soldiers securing the building they were on top of.“You said they'll know we're here?” Colonel Autumn asked, looking to James.The older man nodded. “They've known ever since we entered The Commonwealth. You see those birds?” He said, pointing to a set of crows on the ledge of the building. Autumn nodded.“They're one of my projects. Notice how they don't have any kind of scarring? They're not organic. They're synthetic.”Autumn's eyes widened. Now that was a level of technology that even the Enclave at its prime couldn't achieve. “They're on the surface for 24 hours at a time before they need to be recharged. In that time, a pair of cameras, one for each eye, is recording everything it sees on a Holotape. It's then processed and any people or locations of interest are marked.”“Marked for what?”James smiled. “For retrieval.”Then, a bolt of energy struck the ground between them.“So, what's this thing that you needed to pick up, Glade?” Kodiak asked. The majority of the Pride had assembled at the gate, having finished doing what they needed to do. Glade had told them before leaving Fort Bannister that he had a 'project' to pick up from Moria.Next to Glade, Colvin snickered. He had gone with Glade despite being told he didn't need to and saw exactly what it was. “Oh, you wouldn't believe what our pal Glade here just got his hands on.”Several power armor helmets turned to the direction of Glade. He sighed, knowing that he should've kept quiet about it. Glade opened the storage pack attached to his power armor and pulled out the object in question, bringing it into view for everyone to see.“Is that..?” Dusk asked, completely flabbergasted.“Oh yes. Yes it is, Dusk.” Colvin replied.In Glade's hand was a set of women’s Naughty Nightwear brand lingerie. It was in immaculate condition, proof of Moria Brown's talent at restoring old, beat-up things from before the war. Behind his helmet, Glade was blushing.“I didn't take you for a crossdresser, Glade.” Sarah's voice came from behind, causing the man in question to stumble while he turned around to face his squad leader.“I- I'm not! This isn't for me, it's for..” Glade clamped his mouth shut, but it was too late. He had already said too much.Kodiak's head tilted while he asked the question that was on everyone's mind. “Who is it for, Glade?”Glade muttered an answer, uncomfortable with the entire situation. “Haylen”“Haylen? The new Scribe?” Kodiak asked.Everyone turned their attention to an approaching Michael with Reilly in tow, causing Glade to sigh in relief. “Alright, let's move out.” He said, walking past them towards the already opening gate.Those present noticed that the redhead had changed out her weapon for something more compact. It wasn't like anything they had seen before. Unknown to them, it was the very same MP5 that she had asked Michael about. “What's mine is yours” He had said after she asked him if she could take it.They headed East.
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Michael’s Rangers
Chapter IX: Deliberation
Saul Jonfield Danse was in trouble. What was originally supposed to be Squire Maxon's first patrol, something that he and several others had planned to be a fairly safe excursion beyond the walls of the Citadel, had turned into a fight for their lives.Knight-Commander Danse and his team had initially taken fire from a small group of Super-Mutants, but upon advancing on their position, it was revealed to he and his team that the small group firing on them was just the tip of the metaphorical iceberg. When they overtook the small group's position, they stumbled upon a much larger group of Super-Mutants, about thirty of so. Danse was quick to call a retreat, but as they ran back towards their original position, Super-Mutants hot on their tail, they came face-to-face with a large group of well-armed Talon Company mercenaries.To say that this was a surprise would have been an understatement. Neither group had time to fire on the other, however, because just moments later the Super-Mutants caught up to them. It would have been comical if it hadn't already been one of the worst encounters Danse had ever seen or heard of. He managed to protect Squire Maxon and part of his remaining squad, but at the cost of the functionality of his Power Armor, forcing him to eject from his frame.The ensuing three-way firefight had taken two more of his squad-mates, bringing down his team to just for members, including himself and Squire Maxon. Despite this loss and the overwhelming odds staring them down, the four remaining Brotherhood members fought bravely. They had a defensible position, but they were running low on ammo. It was only a matter of time before they were overrun. Knight-Commander Danse loaded his last Microfusion Cell into his Laser Rifle and whispered a prayer that couldn't be heard over the gunfire and explosions. He readied himself to make his final stand, but a strong hand clasping his shoulder prevented him from standing up. Startled, he whipped his head around, looking for the invisible force holding him down. The air shimmered and a man appeared next to him.It was then Danse knew someone had heard his prayer. Perhaps not some all-powerful deity, but one could be forgiven in thinking that maybe, just maybe, the man who had just appeared beside him was the embodiment of an Old God. A God of War, perhaps. The man wasn't even looking at him, instead looking out on the battle taking place. In those few moments, Danse knew that this man had already come up with a way to win this battle. After all, overcoming overwhelming odds was The Wanderer's specialty.The Wanderer's icy blue eyes found Danse's. “This position isn't safe. Move your men to the metro on my signal.”“The metro isn't safe! Talon started pouring out just before you got here” Danse proclaimed, worried they might not have a way out after all.The Wanderer shook his head. “They were retreating to the surface to get away from me. It's all clear down there. The Pride is waiting for you to get to them so they can cover your escape. Don't keep them waiting.”A look of understanding crossed Danse's face. That explained the look of shock the Talon Merc he came face-to-face with had. He hardened his resolve before barking his orders to his remaining team. When he looked back to ask what the signal was, The Wanderer was already gone.Moments later, two massive explosions occurred in the middle of both groups firing on Danse and his team, and seconds later their focused fire was directed towards somewhere else. The Wanderer, most likely.The Knight-Commander gathered his strength and moved, pulling Squire Maxon along with him, the remaining members of his team following close behind him. Not wanting to draw any attention, they kept as quiet as they could and stowed their weapons, making a beeline for the Metro entrance. The last bit of strength left his body as he stumbled passed Paladin Glade who was on point for The Pride.Sentinel Lyons knelt next to him, checking him and Maxon over while the sound of gunfire and explosions echoed through the underground.“Status report, Knight-Commander” She ordered.Danse groaned as his body snapped to attention thanks to the brutal training he had underwent. “My squad was tasked with taking Squire Maxon out on his first patrol when we came under fire from a small group of Super-Mutants. When we advanced on their position, we found it wasn't a small group. I called a retreat back into the Metro, but that's when we came face-to-face with Talon. We fell back to a secondary position and prepared for the worst.”Danse grimaced, thinking about the lives lost today.“Initiate Lucia, Initiate Clarke, Knight Dennis, and Scribe Anderson are all KIA. I lost my Power Armor shielding Squire Maxon and my squad from a plasma grenade, and we're out of ammo.”Sarah nodded before helping Danse to his feet and pushing a fresh MF Cell into his hands. “Well, now you're not out of ammo. Think you can make it back to The Citadel?”Danse looked to his team, noting that Scribe Haylen, who Glade was tending to, had completely destroyed her right leg making the run to the Metro, while Knight Rhys was unable to properly shoulder his Laser Rifle due to a broken arm, though his Power Armor helped mitigate that issue slightly.Squire Maxon was surprisingly well-off, suffering only light grazes from small-arms fire and a bit of shrapnel. He was bloody, but he was still very much capable of fighting, the only one other than himself.Danse shook his head. “It's possible for me to make it back, but without half of what's left of my squad. That's not something I'm willing to do, Sentinel.”Sentinel Lyons smirked. “Good answer, but that won't be an issue. You'll have us as an escort as soon as you're able to move.”Danse's eyes widened. “What about The Wanderer?” he asked, looking towards the sound of another explosion and more gunfire.“The Wanderer will be fine, Knight-Commander.” A voice said from behind. Danse turned to see a redheaded woman who looked familiar to him, but he didn't quite know. “I'll stay behind with him. Sarah, get moving. All this gunfire is only attracting more vultures.”The Knight-Commander was surprised to see a civilian addressing Sentinel Lyons in such a manner, especially when she was in the midst of her own squad. “Excuse me, but who exactly are you?”“Formerly Knight-Captain Reilly, currently leader of Reilly's Rangers.” Came a voice from the stairs. Everyone turned to the voice, weapons raised, only to see it was The Wanderer. The gunfire and explosions had stopped, and he was covered in so much blood it was dripping off his duster and making a small river down the stairs.Reilly made a mental note to talk to Michael about the name of the Rangers. “Done already? From Danse's report there were a lot of Super-Mutants up there.” The redhead asked.A frown appeared on The Wanderer's face. “There were a lot, but once I was done with Talon and they started losing numbers, they scattered. I've never seen them do that before or congregate in such large numbers outside of a nest.”This was concerning. Everyone present knew just how much of a hard time The Brotherhood had with organized Super-Mutants in the past. “You think there's a smart mutie around?” Dusk asked.Michael let out a small, dark chuckle. “I know there is. I'm just concerned that there's more than the two I already know about. They were more organized than I've ever seen from Super-Mutants. Some of them were even giving orders.”“This needs to be brought to the attention The Elder” Sarah said, eyes wide.Michael nodded. “Agreed. One more item on the list. Come on, we're wasting daylight standing around.”“Explain it again.” Rothchild said, fingers on his temple and eyes glazed over.The Lone Wanderer sighed, looking at the people in the room, sat around a round table. He stood in the middle, fully aware of the eyes wide with disbelief or amazement on him. It was something he was used to, but not something he appreciated when it came from the people he considered the closest thing he had to allies.In the room were the Brotherhood's senior members and leaders. Elder Lyons, Head Scribe Rothchild, Star Paladin Cross, Sentinel Lyons, Scribe Vallincourt, Proctor Quinlan and Proctor Teagan, and the rest of the Pride. The room was packed as full as it possibly could be. Such was the result when The Lone Wanderer asked for the senior members of The Brotherhood of Steel to listen to what he has to say, especially when it involves weapons, armor, or other things of interest.Now, here he was, handing over the locations of several of his stockpiles, as well as extending a hand of friendship from the Rangers, while Reilly herself was told to wait outside. He was going to force their hand to let her into the meeting, but she was quick to accept Rothchild's 'request'.“As I said, I have with me the coordinates of several secure locations stocked full of weapons, both conventional and energy, as well as several hundred suits of Power Armor, some of which you've likely never seen, in both large and small frame. I'm willing to hand over these locations freely, as a gesture of friendship and good faith.”Rothchild cleared his throat before speaking “Why are you turning it over now? More importantly, why haven't you turned it over when you first came into possession of these weapons and armor? Despite not acting like it, you are a member of the Brotherhood, and that is your responsibility as such.” he asked, trying to sound diplomatic about it and failing.Michael turned his head towards Rothchild and leveled a glare at him. “I was granted the honorary rank of Knight after the battle for the Purifier, and then later granted the honorary rank of Paladin. I'm not on your payroll nor was I issued an official set of holotags” he said, choosing his words carefully. In truth, he had been given a pair of holo-tags by Sarah, but that was in no way 'official’, and they were safely hidden behind his shirt, armor, and duster.Many of the people in the room grimaced at both Rothchild's words and the response he got. They were acutely aware just how far they had come thanks to The Wanderer's efforts. He was instrumental in taking down The Enclave, and without him they would have lost a war of attrition with them long ago. Rothchild opened his mouth to respond, but Elder Lyons raised his hand, silencing the Head Scribe. When the Lyon spoke, the Brotherhood listened.“We thank you for the offer and we are prepared to accept it, but I'm curious as to what you get out of this, Michael.” Elder Lyons said, carefully choosing to use his given name.“As I'm sure you're aware by now, Talon Company is gone. With some help from the Rangers and the Pride, we've taken their stronghold location and eliminated their upper leadership. Any remaining members are likely going to find a living doing something else, or move out of the Capital Wasteland.”The reports of the raid on Fort Bannister, lightly detailed by a few far-off observer's accounts, had indeed reached the Citadel and Three Dog, which means it had reached most of the Capital Wasteland.A small smile met Michael's face. It was genuine, which was something not many in the Brotherhood had ever seen before. “I've taken on a leadership position within the Rangers. In the future, I'd like the Brotherhood and Rangers to work together towards the same objectives. They're going to be just about as well armed and supplied as you after I open up a few other locations to them. This offer is me ensuring you that I haven't forgotten what you have done for me and wanting to keep amicable relations between the Rangers and Brotherhood.”This came as a surprise to many in the room. In the past, The Wanderer had turned down just about every offer of leadership offered to him, by both the Brotherhood and Outcasts. In fact, one of his most recent visits to The Citadel ended up with a cocky, newly appointed Knight being put into the infirmary for two months after challenging The Wanderer when he was in a bad mood. Many believed The Wanderer was too far gone, too feral to be up to the task of being a leader.Elder Lyons nodded his head, knowing exactly what The Wanderer's involvement with them had done for their numbers and station in the Wasteland. He knew that once word spread about him being directly involved in leading the Rangers, it was only a matter of time before the Rangers' numbers exceeded their own. People with lesser minds could take that as a threat, and indeed some in the room might have if he didn't come to them with this offer.Rothchild's eyes narrowed when The Wanderer claimed that the Rangers would be as well supplied and armed as the Brotherhood even after his 'gift' to the Brotherhood.“You say that there are other locations at which you've stored valuable and dangerous pre-war technology and that you're planning on arming a force outside of the Brotherhood with it. This would be a clear violation of Codex which, honorary or not, you are expected to uphold. Dangerous technology should not-” Suddenly, Rothchild found it impossible to keep speaking and very difficult to even breathe as The Wanderer's presence bore down upon him like that of an angry god. His body seized up and if he were not sitting down, he would be kneeling before The Wanderer, albeit involuntarily.“Give way your suspicions to the wisdom of thine Elder. Where he shows trust, so shall you.” Michael quoted, not letting up on Rothchild just yet. “I would have expected a Head Scribe to abide by the Codex more than an honorary member. Even so, I've done more than enough for the Brotherhood for you to know that I'm not your enemy. I'm also not your personal scavenging team. What I find, I get to keep, from bottlecaps to Nuclear ICBMs. The fact that I'm giving the Brotherhood anything at all should tell you all you need to know about my intentions.”By this point, Rothchild would have done anything to avert his gaze from The Wanderer's, but he was unable to. Each passing second felt like an eternity where his very soul was being set alight by the fiery gaze of The Lone Wanderer.Though Elder Lyons was not the target of The Wanderer's fury, he could still feel it somewhat. He could also see the effect it was having on his closest friend. “Michael, please. I do believe that Head Scribe Rothchild has seen your point, as have we all.” He said, trying to break whatever was entrapping the man.Michael released his gaze and air once more flowed freely into Rothchild's lungs. He breathed deeply and heavily while many in the room stared at the aftereffects of whatever The Wanderer had just done to him.Proctor Teagan wasn't one of them. A grizzled veteran of the Brotherhood, he had seen his fair share of strange things in the post-apocalyptic world. While he didn't know what The Wanderer had done, his mind was more occupied on what was said earlier about the stockpile of weapons and armor they were offered. He was the Brotherhood's new Quartermaster, so it was his job to ensure the Brotherhood had the right weapons and armor to fight with.“As fun as that was, I'm more interested in what we're getting than why we didn't get it sooner,” He began, addressing The Wanderer “What did you mean by 'some of which we've never seen before'?”Instantly, The Wanderer's mood shifted to something a bit calmer, happy to answer the questions he had initially expected. “The armor is designated as T-60 and comes in both large and small frame outfitting, though one of the locations I'm providing already has about a hundred frames already outfitted.”He ignored the near gawking of several people in the room, continuing. “It was designed by the same team of people who made the T-45 to be the T-45's replacement. Unlike the T-51, which was never put into large-scale production like the T-60 was, it's not a trump card for anything the Wasteland can throw at you, but it's leagues better than the T-45 when it comes to protection and maneuverability.”Michael then went on to explain what weapons he had stockpiled at the locations he was handing over. “As for the weapons, I've included a fair amount of the typical Laser and Plasma weapons you've all seen and a few different conventional weapons that I think you'll appreciate, but there are also some I've yet to stumble across in the hands of Enclave or Raiders.” He then took out the adapter plug on his Pip-Boy and plugged it into the hologram projector in the middle of the room. After a few moments and knob and switch flips, a hologram of a weapon appeared.It was what looked to be a highly modified Gatling Laser. “There are a few of these at the first location. It's the Plasma analogue to the Gatling Laser. It'll shoot your typical green plasma bolts after converting the energy from an Electron Charge Pack. It also gives you the option to 'overcharge' the weapon by loading in a second EC Pack in an auxiliary port, effectively allowing the plasma bolts to melt Enclave Power Armor in just a few shots.”Many people were taking notes by this point, fiercely scribbling down every bit of detail they could while Michael continued his explanation. “The cost for that is fire rate, unless you want to melt the weapon and possibly have it explode in your hands. So, if you're using it like that, fire slowly and accurately.”The hologram changed to a scoped rifle that some in the room had seen The Wanderer with a few years back. “Some of you probably remember this from the day we took the Purifier back from the Enclave. It's called a Gauss Rifle, and it's only one variant from the database I've read. It has a magazine on the side that will accept various kinds of 'ammo'” He paused, finger-quoting on the word. “The 'ammo' I've used has been from small gauge rebar to hammered-down railroad spikes.”Some in the room shuddered at the mention of railroad spikes, all clear at the handiwork The Wanderer had done with such things. “Whatever ammo you choose, it's then energized and projected out of the barrel at a great speed with the help of a Microfusion Cell. It's a great long-range weapon if you're looking to punch a hole in an Enclave Trooper that's behind three concrete walls, but you have to manually cycle the rounds and wait a bit before firing again.” Dusk and Colvin both saw the potential in such a weapon for long-range engagements.The hologram changed again; this time it was something resembling a Power-Fist. “This is one of my favorites. It's a highly compact, wrist-mounted shotgun that fires upon fist impact. It's about as devastating as you think and is a great way to end a fight if you lose your other weapons.” He pulled up the duster sleeve opposite of his Pip-boy arm, showing off that he had one on him at that moment. “It's fairly lightweight for what it is and has dampeners to avoid shattering your wrist upon firing, as well as a self-loading magazine. The downside is that the compact nature means after three punches, it's just something to hit your enemies with. Luckily, everything you hit with it goes down in one punch.”The image flickered, changing slightly. “There are also a few energy variants I've included. They generally discharge a third of an MF cell with each hit but can be dialed up or down depending on need, though anything less than a tenth and you're not killing anyone, but it works wonders for information gathering. Dialing it up to the highest setting also works well for getting people to talk, provided you have more than one person with the information you're looking for.”Though it was hidden behind his helmet, a sadistic smirk appeared on the face of Irving Gallows. He liked the idea of this new weapon.Michael disconnected from the projector. “There are others, but I'm sure you'll be able to figure them out. The conventional weaponry is simple enough, and you have scribes for the energy weaponry. This was just an example.”“Now, on to the other thing I need to talk to you about. I think we might have a serious situation on our hands.” Michael said.“I see you were finally able to find some non-mutated genetic material” James said, observing the various people walking around The Institute.The Director of The Institute sat across from him in his office, following the older man's gaze. “Yes, it was quite a chore, but we were able to find an entire genetic archive that had been sealed away just before the Great War. The third generation has been around almost ten years now. They look and act just like regular humans. They eat, they sleep, and they bleed. Their bodies are almost entirely organic.”This piqued James' interest. “Almost?”The Director nodded. “Apart from our Coursers, all third-gen models are free from non-organic material, aside from the neurological implants. For all intents and purposes, they're human. Wastelanders can't tell the difference.”The Director stood up, crossing the room to get more coffee. “I thought you'd show a bit more emotion, James. It was your project. After you left, we weren't sure we'd ever be able to complete it. What happened out there, anyways? Where did you go?”A flood of memories rushed through James. Memories of a time long since past. “At first, I just followed the problems. Problems that me and my team could solve. It wasn't easy, but we weren't expecting it to be.”“Those problems lead us West, to California. New California, I should say. There, I met a woman. The smartest Wastelander I had ever met. She gave me a run for my money, even with all my fancy training and education.” A sad smile met his face. “We worked together for a long time. Part of my team decided to come back here, and others... The Wasteland is a cruel place.”The Director nodded. Of the ten scientists who left for the surface on James' Expedition, James was the third to ever make it back.“That's when I decided that I needed to stay. They needed my help, and I was glad to give it. Even if it wasn't always appreciated. Catherine had a bit of a temper.”“That's the name of the woman you met?”James nodded. “She was part of this group called the Followers of the Apocalypse. Their entire mission was to help people and wanted nothing in return. They weren't very large at the time, but between the two of us we grew the Followers into a sizable group that was welcomed everywhere we went. We grew so large we had to start expanding beyond New California. We set up outposts everywhere people needed help, moving eastward as we did.”“It sounds like you did a lot of good together.”“We did. But then we got to what used to be Pittsburgh. By that point, we were stretched so thin we didn't have proper defense against what we found. It was a Raider haven, and there were these people in Power Armor.. They were killing everyone for no reason. I tried to get them to stop, but when I did they..” James stopped speaking, choking on his words and tears.The Director looked at his old friend sadly. “I'm.. I'm so sorry, James. I had no idea. How did you survive?”Tears and sorrow gave way to anger. “Right before they could kill me, another group came in and fought them off. They saved me and tried to save Catherine and our child, but they didn't have the resources to do so. After I told them of Catherine's vision, a wasteland where the waters of life flowed freely, they helped me. We set up a purifier in what used to be D.C. Just before we could activate it, the other soldiers came back and took it from us.”“I flooded the antechamber with radiation and killed them and nearly myself, until Colonel Autumn saved me once again.”“Colonel Autumn is the man you were with?”James nodded again. “He spent nearly every last resource he had at his disposal saving my life a second time, all while the Brotherhood of Steel destroyed everything the Enclave was working towards. Now, we're home.”The Director finished writing before putting his pen down and turning off the recorder on the table. “Now that you're back, what are you planning on doing? There are a lot of projects that could use your help, but something tells me you didn't bring these 'Enclave' soldiers here for the advancement of science.”James turned to the man, fury in his eyes. “I'm here to finish what Catherine started. To do what The Institute has always wanted. We're going to save Mankind, and the Enclave is going to help us.”“Smart mutants? All the way out East? Are you fuckin' kidding me?” Glade exclaimed, having read exactly what happened back West with The Master and his army. Much of the Brotherhood who had made it East were happy to see that the Super-Mutants in the Capital were much less intelligent than their cousins.Rothchild, having found his voice again, chose to speak up once more “If I recall correctly, you were once... companions with a Super-Mutant. Fawkes, was it? Could it be behind this?”He received another hard glare from The Wanderer, though it wasn't anything like what it was before. “He is still a friend of mine, one who has saved my life twice so far. Not all monsters exist in their current state out of free will, Rothchild. Some of us even retain our humanity.”Michael's emphasis on the word 'he' as well as his own words calling himself a monster, whether that was how he viewed himself or how he thought Rothchild and others might, did not go unnoticed by any in the room. Especially Reilly, who Michael had brought in before the second discussion had started without any protest from Rothchild or anyone else.“There's also another. Leo. He is somewhat like Fawkes, but he's a pacifist, so it's not him behind it, either.”Dusk let out a bitter laugh. “A pacifist Mutie? I'll believe it when I see it.”Michael's head mechanically rotated in her direction. “I'd introduce the two of you, but I think he would appreciate such uncivilized company.”Dusk was taken aback by The Wanderer's ruthless defense of a Super-Mutant, knowing full well that his kill-count for mutants alone dwarfed the entire Pride's kill-count, mutant or otherwise. It left her speechless.Elder Lyons chose this moment to step in, taking the heat off of Dusk. “You're sure that one of them was giving orders?”Michael turned back to the Elder and nodded. “It was difficult to hear over the gunfire, but before I got to Knight-Commander Danse, I definitely heard one of the Super-Mutants ordering around the rest, and the others were following them.”Elder Lyons rested his chin on his intertwined fingers. Super-Mutants following orders was not the problem. That wasn't unheard of, even for the Eastern variety. Generally, the biggest, meanest Super-Mutant of his own 'pack' would dictate where they went, when they ate, and who got to eat first. But an Eastern Super-Mutant in battle was lost to his own rage and could barely follow orders, much less give them. To hear that not only was this happening, but in such a large group? That was unsettling.Everyone in that room knew exactly how much of a toll the war on Super-Mutants had been taken from the Brotherhood. It was to be the final nail in the coffin before The Wanderer showed up and eager Wastelanders wanting to lend a hand or devote their life to something more followed in his wake.“The Super-Mutants scattered quicker and more efficiently than anything their size has a right to be. I'm going to have my hands full with the Rangers for good while, so I'm relying on you to capture one and get him to talk.” Michael said.“What? You want us to bring some dumb mutie inside the Citadel, alive, and talk to it? How the fuck are we supposed to do that?”Michael turned to Dusk again “You have better training than it, power armor, and I'm giving you several tons of weapons and ammo. That's how you capture it. Gallows is how you talk to it. If he can't, I'll bring in two people who can.”Outside of the Citadel, on the bridge Liberty Prime once marched across, stood two Regulators. They had been tracking The Wanderer for days, waiting for a moment to approach him. By the order of Sonora Cruz, The Wanderer was to be brought to their headquarters for questioning. She had authorized any amount of force necessary to get it done.The two of them both knew that if The Wanderer didn't feel like coming along with them peacefully, their 'mission' would quickly become a death sentence if they followed through with their leader's orders. That is why they watched and waited, hoping to find a time where The Wanderer might be in a good enough mood to hear them out.Neither of them wished to die, but neither of them wanted to disappoint Cruz, either. Though there had been strange goings-on in the top leadership meetings, they still respected their leader and would do their best to follow through with her orders.They both knew that The Wanderer had seen them watching him. It would only be a matter of time before he approached them. If he did the approaching, neither of them were sure they'd be able to get him to hear them out, and they'd be put in one hell of a tough spot.Just as they went back to looking through their binoculars to look for The Wanderer, they heard a voice behind them.“You know, the last time I found out a group of people were spying on me, I blew up their mountain.”
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Michael’s Rangers
Chapter X: Espial
“The Director has decided to hear us out at the next Directorate meeting, which will be three days from now. Until then, The Institute will recognize you all as guests, though they won't be giving back your weapons and armor until after the meeting has been adjourned.” James explained, sitting across from Colonel Autumn within The Institute's cafeteria. Just hours ago he was in a cell, along with the men who accompanied them to The Institute, but James had been quick in getting them released.The Colonel smiled. “That's fine. I can't imagine we'd need them down here anyways, unless one of those Synths has a short-circuit.” He said, observing the numerous Synths walking around in the same kind of uniform, a single stripe of color designating what department they belonged to.James laughed at the thought. “They're almost as human as you or I, Augustus. Besides, they're all loyal to The Institute to a fault.” Autumn didn't respond, instead carefully observing his surroundings. Many eyes were on them, both natural and synthetic, though he couldn't detect any fear in them. Instead, it was a mix of curiosity and reverence. It appeared that James was indeed a man of importance within The Institute.He really didn't want to waste three days waiting for an answer, but he was content in knowing that even at that very moment his other plans were in motion. Though he was unsure if they would be able to kill The Wanderer, he was certain that it would, at the very least, weaken him and his relationship with The Wasteland.The Wanderer was not happy. The two Regulators who had guns pointed at them could tell that much, but the answer to whether they lived or died that night lied in how not happy he was. So long as neither of them tried to reach for their own weapons, and neither of them lied to him, they had a decent chance of living another day.“So, you seem to know who I am, but I don't know you two. By the looks of you, neither of you are new to Regulating, but I know for a fact that you two haven't been in the Capital Wasteland for long. Care to introduce yourselves?” The Wanderer asked, his revolver pointed at the head of one Regulator and his suppressed M1911 pointed at the other.The two Regulators shared a glance before the one with the revolver pointed at him answered. “I'm Ghost, and this is my partner Emile. We were sent here from the West to make contact with Sonora Cruz, since she missed two check-ins. When we arrived she tasked us with finding you and... bringing you in.” He said, almost simultaneously laughing and crying at the thought of anyone 'bringing in' The Wanderer.The Wanderer neither laughed nor cried. Instead, he asked his next question, his tone and the look on his face the same as before. “How far West?”It was Emile who answered next through the skull balaclava wrapped around the lower half of his face. “We came from the Regulator HQ in Nevada.”The Wanderer filed that information away for later before sizing up the two Regulators in front of him. Ghost was a bit smaller than the average man and a bit leaner, but from the way he carried himself it was apparent that he was no pushover. He had a Type 93 Chinese Assault Rifle strapped to his back and a suppressed N99 10mm pistol in a holster on his side over-top of the signature Regulator duster, the same kind he wore over-top his own condensed combat armor, though he saw no armor underneath Ghost's duster. In addition to the firearms, Michael could see a minimum of four different blades on Ghost's person.Emile was the opposite of Ghost. He stood at the same height as him, 6'5, and he had a total of four firearms on him and a single, large blade attached to his shoulder. The same kind of blade Michael had two of: a kukri-style knife. His firearms consisted of an Ithica M37 shotgun with a drum mag without a proper buttstock on his lower back, a highly modified hunting rifle strapped to his back vertically, a China Lake grenade launcher in a modified pistol holster on his left side, and a Smith & Wesson M29 on his right side. Underneath his duster was a set of heavy combat armor, painted black.“So, Cruz sent you here to bring me in. I'm guessing that means by force if necessary. Why?”The two Regulators shared another look before Ghost answered. “Honestly? We have no idea. In the event we made contact with Cruz, we were to be reassigned to her for a period of time before reporting back to HQ of our own findings. The same day we got here, we were sent to find you. The further East we traveled, the more we started hearing about you, so when we were told to find you and bring you in by any means necessary, it wasn't exactly like winning the lottery. She was also very insistent that you weren't one of us, though you wear the same duster we do.”“In the time we spent at their outpost, we figured something weird was going on with Cruz's faction, but we didn't have time to investigate. Her reasoning seemed to have something to do with Talon Company, though from what we've seen they're pretty much wiped out.” Emile said.The Wanderer's neutral expression turned into a small frown. “Cruz doesn't like me because I don't play by her rules, but she's never had the courage to pull something like this before. Either something changed or she doesn't like the fact that I'm almost done eliminating Talon Company for good.”Neither Regulator had a response to that. Even among the Regulators, Cruz was a bit of an unknown. She had earned her stake within the Regulators years ago by stacking up bodies, but since moving into the Capital Wasteland she'd been mostly radio-silent, only checking in when absolutely necessary.They stood in silence as The Wanderer seemed to contemplate whether or not they would be walking away from that conversation, but after what felt like an eternity, he spoke. “I really don't have time to play this game with Cruz right now. I have actual, important things to do, which means I'm not coming with you two. However, I really don't like being spied on, so I'll compromise. You two will go to Fort Bannister and wait for me there. Once I get back, I'll go with you to see Cruz.”Ghost and Emile didn't know how to respond. They were ordered to observe and find the best time to bring him in. If they just left him alone, he could-“Or I can leave a message for the next pair of Regulators to find on your corpse, if you're still thinking of trying to use force. Most Wastelanders see me as some sort of do-gooder, but the people who take up arms against me are my enemy, and there's only one thing my enemies get from me, and it isn't mercy.”The Wanderer's words put things back into perspective for the two Regulators. He was a living, breathing legend, and they were barely enough to warrant a small bit of his attention. “Option A sounds a lot better.”The Wanderer's face twisted into a wolfish smirk, though from their perspective it was a lot more like if a Deathclaw were trying to smirk at them. He lowered his guns slowly. “Good. It won't be too long of a wait.” With that, he turned away and walked back towards the Citadel, slowly disappearing into the black night. The two Regulators let out a sigh of relief before they felt a presence behind them. They turned, weapons drawn, only to see The Wanderer standing there, the smirk gone from his face. Neither one of them knew how he got behind them when, moments ago, he was walking the opposite way.“I forgot to mention that if you two don't honor this deal, I'll hunt you down and pin you both to the Regulator HQ in Nevada with rusty railroad spikes.” He said, his voice having a certain kind of echo to it. Seconds later, he disappeared from sight once again.Ghost and Emile realized that breaking a deal with the Devil might be less terrifying than breaking a deal with The Wanderer. They were quick to be on their way to Fort Bannister.Rivet City security's Vice-Chief stood on top of the beached Aircraft carrier overlooking the newly righted section that had broken off from the rest of the ship decades ago. It had been a major undertaking and had been attacked almost every other day by either Raiders, Super-Mutants, or both. Because the Wasteland was so quiet, the sound of construction could travel for miles, bringing all sorts of attention that would otherwise be elsewhere.It was her job to oversee the protection of the workers and make sure that any injuries or fatalities were due to the construction itself rather than gunfire, and she had done her job well. It wasn't finished quite yet, but the broken section had been righted and leveled, the hull of the ship had been patched, and all the water had been pumped out. All this had been paid for by an extremely wealthy anonymous third party, who not only paid for all the costs of resources and labor, but had also bought the broken section outright, meaning that a total of three people knew who what section belonged to. Sydney sighed and took a sip from a bottle of whiskey, happy that another long day had finally come to an end, yet sad that she had been turned down by Harkness yet again.It wasn't as if they hadn't already slept together. After her 'retirement', she and Harkness had a good thing together. That is until she got restless and joined the Security force. Harkness called it quits after that, saying that he didn't want their relationship impacting his future decisions. Even still, she proved herself and rose to the Vice-Chief position quickly enough, proving herself to be reliable and trustworthy. She had hoped that doing so would allow them to reconnect, but if anything, it only made the wall Harkness erected even taller than before. Now, he barely even joined her for a drink.She'd been present when that crazy Doctor had his henchman attack Harkness, calling him 'property' and a 'machine', though she was pretty sure he was just on too many chems at once. She had blinked and almost missed what The Wanderer did to the both of them. It was a few days later she had decided to join the Security Force, and the wall between her and Harkness had been steadily growing ever since.The bottle of whiskey was grabbed out of her hand and Sydney turned to see a tan woman with pinkish-red hair. Emaline, her closest friend. She had come to Rivet City just a few weeks after she became a Security Officer.The pinkette took her own sip from the bottle, looking at the same thing Sydney had been moments ago. “It was a bitch of a job, but we're almost done. Eh, Vice-Chief?”“We're off-duty, Emma. Knock that 'Vice-Chief' shit off.” Sydney said, snatching the bottle back from her longtime friend.“You get another 'no' from our glorious leader?”Sydney took a big swig from the bottle before answering. “Yep.”Emaline rolled her eyes. “You know...”“No.” Sydney said, not giving her friend the chance to continue her sentence. She knew what she was going to say.Emaline pouted. “You don't even know what I was going to say!”Sydney looked to her friend with a blank expression. “Yes, I do. And the answer is 'no', just like it was yesterday, just like it was two weeks ago, and just like it was two years ago. I love you, but not like that.”This served only to deepen Emaline's pout. “Fine! I guess I'll go try my own luck with him.” She said, walking away from her friend.Sydney, not really listening, rolled her eyes and made a waving motion with her hand. “Yeah, yeah. Have fu-” She blinked, Emaline's words finally reaching her inebriated brain. “Wait, what? You will not!” She yelled, chasing after her friend.It didn't take long for Michael to get back to the lower levels of the Citadel, where Reilly and Sarah were. They'd been surprised when he told them that they had been followed, but they weren't all that concerned when he said he would go see what their stalkers wanted. When he returned, he told them about it all, keeping no secrets from them. However, Sarah did raise a good point.“Wait, you told them to wait for you at Fort Bannister? How's that gonna look to the others when they show up and nobody knows who they are or what they're talking about?”Michael smirked. “I'm not sure, but that's part of the fun, isn't it?”The three of them enjoyed a laugh that echoed in the large room and through the halls of the Citadel. Above them, they were being observed by both Elder Lyons and Head Scribe Rothchild.Rothchild made a disapproving noise before turning to his old friend. “It seems your daughter has gotten quite close to The Wanderer. They seem quite fond of each other. All three of them.”Elder Lyons nodded once in agreement with Rothchild's observation. “Indeed, they all seem to be quite close, even after Reilly's departure from the Brotherhood.”“Are you okay with that, Owyn? Former Knight-Captain Reilly turned her back on us and took some of our most skilled members with her, and The Wanderer..” Rothchild paused, unsure if The Wanderer had supernatural hearing along with all of his other 'perks' he had picked up out in the Wasteland. However, Owyn Lyons wanted to hear what his friend had to say, patiently waiting for his old friend to continue.Rothchild cleared his throat and continued, though at a lower volume than before. “The Wanderer isn't just an outsider, he's one of the most dangerous people the Brotherhood has ever encountered. The records dating all the way back to the founding have only mentioned two others who might be on the same level as him.”Elder Lyons nodded again, one more agreeing with Rothchild's assessment. “Truly, he is a force of nature itself. I, too, have read the records, searching for answers to the questions not even he could provide about his aptitude, and as you said only two others might have been a match for him. Were he to turn against us, even if he fought alone we wouldn't have a good chance of winning. With all the support he's gained, that slim chance would disappear.”“So, you agree that he has no place in your daughter's life, then?” Rothchild asked, hope in his eyes.However, Lyons turned to his friend with a bittersweet smile on his face. “While it's true that I had hoped Sarah would find a partner among the Brotherhood, I can't fault her if she's chosen him. She met him not long after he stepped out of his Vault, and she has worked with him the closest out of all of us. Obviously she has seen and can see him for who he is, and not just what he is.” Owyn turned away, looking back to his daughter and The Wanderer. “He's been an enormous help to both us and the Wasteland. If I had to pick any man to stand by her side, it would be him.”“But- the three of them are obviously-” Rothchild was cut off when Lyons raised his hand.“It is not my place, and especially not your place to stand in judgment over the three of them. If they are happy, that is enough for me, and it should be enough for you.” The Elder said, his voice calm but firm. Then, he took his leave.Rothchild hung his head in defeat. He had hoped that his old friend would be in agreement with him, but it seemed more and more that they were in disagreement on things that concerned The Wanderer. He decided in that moment that perhaps a bit of reflection would serve him well. As he left, he could feel The Wanderer's eyes on him, a gaze that told him everything that was said had been heard by the Wasteland's Messiah.The early morning came too quickly for Sarah's liking. She'd be separated from two of the most important people in her life for an undetermined amount of time once again, though she took solace in the fact that there was a good chance that she'd be seeing both Reilly and Michael more often thanks to the agreement made with her father on behalf of the Brotherhood.They stood at the gate of the Citadel as Reilly and Michael made last-minute gear-checks, ensuring they hadn't left anything lying around, though it was mostly an excuse to spend a bit more time with Sarah. Behind them, several Brotherhood members gathered to see the two leaders of the Rangers off. Even Knight-Commander Danse managed to sneak away from the infirmary to see them off.The three of them could feel the vast number of eyes upon them, watching their every move, though it wasn't in any way malicious, it made it difficult for Sarah to say goodbye the way she wanted to. The gate lifted and the Wasteland slowly revealed itself as the sun started to rise in the East. When the gate was finally fully raised, Michael made his move to ensure that Sarah wasn't left without a proper goodbye. In front of dozens of eyes, The Wanderer grabbed Sentinel Lyons by the waist swiftly and kissed her deeply, as if not a single person were watching them in that moment. Sarah quickly melted into the kiss and returned it wholeheartedly, forgetting all about the people behind her.Small gasps and mutters could be heard from their position, but only Reilly was paying any attention to them, though she paid them little mind. She looked upwards to a newly refurbished section of the Citadel to see Elder Lyons looking on at the scene before them from a window. Even he wished to see The Wanderer off on his trip back out into the Wasteland, though the expression on his face said that the scene before him wasn't entirely a shock to him. His eyes met the Redhead's and they both shared a small, knowing smile before he receded into the Citadel. The kiss broke moments later and the two Rangers headed out into the Wasteland once more.Sarah stood in place until the gate closed and they disappeared from view.Refortifying Fort Bannister was not going to be an easy or cheap task. Talon Company had relied on numbers to keep it secure, and yet a single man had been able to infiltrate their most secure location and slaughter over 100 people inside. That's why both The Wanderer and Reilly wanted to start building up fortifications ASAP, Sergeant Pepper saw that there were a few problems with that plan.Firstly, Fort Bannister's perimeter was not ideal as a secure location. Though there was a lot of open space around them, making a full-on assault costly to anyone who might try it, they had proved that a nighttime infiltration with a small, well-trained group could do some serious damage. Even without The Wanderer, they could have probably taken the fort with the people they had. Fort Bannister would require walls, and cheaping out on them would be a bad idea.Secondly, the interior of Fort Bannister could sustain well over a hundred people easily, but doing so would require supplies. What had been left behind wouldn't last forever, especially if their numbers grew too quickly. Fort Bannister was a good ways away from any caravan routes, and making a contract with a single caravan wouldn't cut it for very long. They would need a solid supply chain to keep Fort Bannister operational. Talon had largely relied upon their own members bringing back all they could take, whether it be from scavenging or from the bodies of Wastelands. They also had territorial disputes with Raiders which lead to them gaining a wealth of food, weapons, and ammo, but once word got out that The Wanderer's watchful eye was upon Fort Bannister, no group of Raiders would be stupid enough to go near them.Thirdly, and most importantly in Pepper's mind, the Rangers didn't trust him or the boys. He had hoped that killing his former 'comrades' would earn at least a little bit of trust, but it seemed that the only two people who trusted him at all, other than Mason and James, were The Wanderer and Reilly herself. If they didn't trust one another, it would be just as bad Talon when it came to working together. While they went about their duties figuring out how to best return Fort Bannister to at least a shadow of its pre-war glory, the Rangers hadn't stayed in the same room as them for longer than they needed to, much less actively work with them. Conversations were short and largely passive-aggressive, and there didn't seem to be any real chain of command, which Talon was at least capable of, though The Wanderer had said he planned on correcting that.Sergeant Pepper sighed, returning to his valve check. With the amount of gunfire that went on, he was surprised that there weren't more issues.Four hours after they departed from the Citadel, Michael and Reilly arrived at the Ranger's DC compound. However, something was wrong. The door that led to the interior was all smashed up, as was the terminal that was used to unlock said door. There was also a new, sloppily made grave in the courtyard. They were quick to draw their weapons and prepared to breach their own compound. They stacked up on the right side of the door before Michael used his heel to kick in the door, causing it to crash open and into the parallel wall, the sound echoing around inside the interior.They moved inside slowly with Reilly taking up the rear, and at the bottom of the steps a shadow lunged out from the supply closet to the left, knife in hand. However, The Wanderer was a master of shadows, and reacted too quickly for their attacker, grabbing the outstretched arm by the wrist, twisting, and using the attacker's own force and momentum to direct him to the ground, the knife falling to the floor harmlessly as he put his boot in the middle of their attacker's back.After a moment, Reilly's eyes adjusted to see it was Theo, his face squished against the cold, grated metal floor.“Your CQC needs work, Theo. As does your breathing. I could hear you from the top of the steps.” Michael said, releasing Theo's wrist and removing his foot.Theo groaned in response, feeling like he got hit by a charging mad brahmin. It took him some time to get up. When he did, he was offered a canteen full of water by Reilly. “What happened here, Theo?”After taking a sip, he waved his hand, gesturing toward the door. “Jabasco happened. That fuck smashed up the terminal and kicked the door open. Didn't get a chance to come inside, though.”“Jabasco? How did he survive..?” Reilly asked, looking to Michael for an answer.Michael shrugged. “He was one tough bastard to survive what went on that night. I was sure he'd bleed out, but I guess I should've just ripped out his heart like some of the others.” The way he spoke so casually about what happened that night sent chills down Reilly and Theo's spines. He didn't bother to elaborate further.After helping Theo up, they explained the plan to him. They'd pack up all essentials and lock up the DC compound for future use. Michael ensured that he’d make it quite a bit more difficult for someone to break in before they left, but didn't explain how. Theo was glad to hear the operation was a success and even more so to hear The Wanderer had accepted a leadership position within the Rangers.And so, the three Rangers left behind their old base of operations, hoping that one day they could make use of the location when their numbers grew large enough. Nobody knew just how important that location would come to be in future events.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Michael’s Rangers
Chapter XI: Exodus
They made surprisingly good time getting out of the urban ruins of DC thanks to Michael's intimate knowledge of the metro system. It was just starting to get dark when they emerged from an auxiliary maintenance tunnel entry point just outside of the Bethesda ruins. What little fighting there was in the metro had swiftly ended. As it turned out, not many Raiders were comfortable hiding in dark, unfamiliar areas these days. What little they'd brought from the DC Ranger compound was easily stuffed away in rucksacks that each member of their party carried, making their travels that much easier. Still, it was getting dark. Additionally, the dark, heavy clouds above threatened them with potentially radioactive rain. “We'll head to the Meresti Trainyard. The station below is home to a group of people I know. It'll be safe to bunk down there tonight.”Both Reilly and Theo took his word for it. Most of the safe places they knew of were in downtown DC, usually small, easily-defended alcoves of decrepit buildings or large storage closets in the metro. Still, the Meresti Trainyard was said to be haunted by the spirits of vengeful Wastelanders who were killed by Raiders. At least, that's what Three Dog had to say about the place, but since it didn't have anything to do with The Wanderer, Raiders who listened in on the broadcasts took it as a challenge.Yet, upon arriving in the vicinity of the trainyard, an eerie stillness blanketed the area. Nobody was around. Rather, nothing was around. No Raiders, Wastelanders, or even stray molerats. As they approached the closed-off metro tunnel, they could see a single, lit lantern next to the door.“Looks like they're out hunting. We'll have to let ourselves in.” The Wanderer said, not bothering to even slow his stride.Theo, however, was not nearly as brave. “Uh, hunting? Hunting what? There's nothing around for.. miles.”The Wanderer gently pushed on the door, causing a small, yet echoed creaking sound to ring out from inside the tunnel. “The Family are hunting people.”Hearing this, Theo nearly dropped his rifle. As it was, it fumbled in his arms for a moment before he got a good grip again. Theo wasn't comfortable out in the open. He'd grown up in an urban environment. If anything, he thrived in it. He could find things to scavenge that would have otherwise gone right under the noses of everyone else all over the DC ruins. Out in the open? He could barely tell what direction he was going. He felt like an ambush was just behind the next rock or crater.“Relax, Theo. They only hunt Raiders. Mostly.”The Wanderer's words did not bring him any comfort.To the West, the two Regulators Ghost and Emile had eyes on Fort Bannister. They'd decided to scout it out first in case it was a trap. From what they could see, the rumors were true. Talon Company's firm hold on the pre-war fort was gone. Instead, it was lightly guarded by a group called Reilly's Rangers. They knew that particular group was a much more amicable 'Mercenary' group than Talon, but that didn't mean they could just walk up to their front door.Regulators didn't have the best reputation despite their good intentions. Some believed they went too far in their pursuit of justice, which was understandable. Several chapters had strayed from the original intentions of the Regulators, and it was up to people like them to either get things back on track, or to eliminate the problem.In addition, Regulators, while fairly well-known to exist, were in reality not easy to find out in the Wasteland. Often times Regulators became focused on a single 'target', rather than being available to any who needed their help. In a way, both Ghost and Emile could understand one of the reasons Cruz might have an axe to grind with The Wanderer. Though he was but a single man, countless Wastelanders have benefited from his help, and there was the sense that he could be anywhere in the Wasteland at any time if he so wanted. To many, he was the 'long arm of the law'.“So, do you think he'll show up?” Emile asked, shuffling down off the large rock he was on and sitting on the scorched dirt beneath.Ghost shrugged in response. “I dunno. He isn't exactly known to break promises, but there's no telling if that's because he's an honest man or if everyone who might say different is dead.”They both thought back to The Wanderer's words during their short 'meeting'. He didn't outright deny being a 'do-gooder', but he implied that wasn't how he saw himself. They were both sure that if it came down to a fight, The Wanderer wouldn't flinch at putting a bullet in each of them.Emile shuddered at the thought of being pinned down by a rusty railroad spike. They'd seen several people who met similar fates already. Of course, Raiders had no problem hanging people from hooks and such, but this was different. It wasn't some Psycho-fueled Raider doing it. It was a clam, collected individual who just so happened to be one of the most renown people in the entirety of the post-apocalyptic wasteland.“You think Cruz will try to start a war with The Wanderer?”Ghost pondered the question for a good few moments. They didn't know anything about Cruz other than she seemed to have a bit of a self-inflated sense of importance. They'd barely had half a conversation with her before she was ordering them to find The Wanderer. She might just be crazy enough to try it, but that wasn't the problem. The problem was if The Wanderer responded in kind or not. If he didn't, but the Wasteland found out about it, they'd lose what little goodwill they had. If he did, well, they might be able to put up a decent fight individually, but the man had torn apart the Enclave after he'd been captured and stripped of his weaponry, and they had Power Armor.“I think Cruz knows that's a terrible idea. I can't imagine she'd consider it if she was thinking rationally.” Ghost said.Emile let out a chuckle. “You think it's rational to sent two men to 'bring in' the same man who took down an army?”“No. No I don't.”As it turned out, there had only been one person guarding the Meresti Station. A gruff, older man. He welcomed Michael and his companions without a second thought and ushered them inside.“It's good to see you, Wanderer. Have you come for supplies, or..?” Karl, the older man, asked.Michael shook his head, patting the rucksack drawn across his back. “We're actually transporting some supplies. Just needed a place to bed down for the night.” he said, nodding in the direction of Reilly and a still nervous Theo.Karl nodded, understanding the situation. He knew The Wanderer could go for an extremely long time without rest or sleep, and that there wasn't a whole hell of a lot that posed a threat to the man even at night, but it was different traveling in a group. “Well, as Vance has said time and time again, you're always welcome here.” The older man led the trio to a set of beds, a bunk bed and a single bed. Following Michael's lead, Reilly and Theo dropped their rucks on the beds.Michael looked over to Theo, who still seemed to be very nervous despite the hospitality. One corner of his mouth rose in a half-smirk. Theo had good wits about him to be nervous. They were in a den that belonged to Vampires, after all. Though they didn't quite match the storybooks, they were still stronger than normal people and had cravings for blood. Human blood, specifically. They weren't exactly cannibals, though. The former residents of Andale and the residents of Meresti were very, very different people. Still, he wouldn't get any sleep if he was wound up like a spring all night.“Theo, you can relax. The Family won't attack you.”“Who are The Family, anyways?” Reilly asked, not quite understanding the situation.Not having a reason to keep it from them, Michael explained. “The Family are a group of people who think of themselves as Vampires. They don't like the sun, they're stronger than they otherwise would be normally, and they crave human blood. They don't necessarily need it to survive, but without it they feel like an addict going through withdrawals.”Reilly cocked an eyebrow at that explanation. “Vampires? Really?”He shrugged in response. “They're not exactly like the books, but there's truth it. As far as I can tell, they've undergone similar.. changes, like I have. I can't really pinpoint the cause, but I haven't looked into it all that deeply. 'Vampire' fits what they are.”Michael closed his eyes, thinking back to when he first met Vance. “Their leader, despite the whole 'Vampire' thing, is a good man. Honorable. I helped them clear up a situation with a nearby settlement. Had Three Dog start some rumors about the place, since Raiders love any challenge that doesn't involve me. It keeps The Family 'fed', and it helps control the flow of Raiders. Win-win.”“Indeed.” A voice, coming from the shadows, said.Reilly and Theo whipped around to see a man walking out from the darkness. He wore a brown duster much like Michael, albeit without any armor underneath. At his side were two swords, one seemingly home-made, and another a Chinese Officer's Sword. They were both bloody, and so were his mouth and hands, at the end of which were very thick, claw-like fingernails.“It is good to see you again, Wanderer. Are these strays that you have brought me?” He asked, sizing Reilly and Theo up. His gaze was similar to that of The Wanderer's. It was the gaze of an apex predator, though it was much less intense than The Wanderer's.Michael shook his head. “They're clean, Vance. We just needed a place to bunk down for the night. We'll be out of your hair at sunrise.”“Very well. I'll see to my people and our haul.” With that, Vance left, disappearing into the dark once more.Michael turned to Reilly and Theo. Reilly was somewhat on edge, but was much less so than Theo, who was not at all comfortable with the situation at hand. “That's Vance, The Family's leader. Every once in a while, I'll come across others like him and his group and bring them to him if they haven't already gone off the deep end.”“How many of them are there?” Reilly asked.“Including Vance, there's ten. When I first met them, there were only seven. Two have died since then.”The casual way he said that two had died reminded Reilly that even people like Vance were lower on the metaphorical totem pole of what could be considered 'apex predators'.“Anyway, we leave at first light. We'll make a stop at Big Town since I've got some business to take care of there. After that, it's straight to Fort Bannister.”By the time Ghost woke up and knew something was wrong, it was too late. He sat up slowly and pulled his suppressed N99 out from under his duster, calling his partner in a quiet voice. He didn't answer.It was nearly daybreak, but it was still too dark to see anything past a few meters. He raised his sidearm, only for a snap to ring out in the distance and a chunk of rock behind him to explode and fragment.“That was a warning shot,” He heard, a voice just beyond his cone of vision. “The next one will be between your eyes unless you drop the gun.”Ghost's frown deepened. He didn't see a muzzle flash, but it sounded like their shots were suppressed. Without his partner, he wasn't that strong of a fighter in these kinds of situations. Having no choice, he slowly placed his weapon on the ground.“Knives, too.” The voice said. For nearly a full minute, Ghost pulled various knives out from his duster, his pants, his sleeves, his boots, his belt, and from under his shirt. In total, there were twelve knives that he had stashed away.Then he heard footsteps approaching, revealing a gruff looking older man in combat armor that had recently been painted green. “Good. Now, turn around and put your hands on your head.”“Where's my partner?” Ghost demanded, not moving an inch. The other man rolled his eyes.“He's fine. Bit roughed up since he decided to fight, but other than a few cuts and bruises he's right as rain. That changes if you try anything or refuse to cooperate. Hands on your head. Now.”Ghost couldn't tell if he was lying or not, but the way he spoke so frankly made him think lying might not be this guy's style, so he complied. Not that he had much of a choice, anyways. He didn't even know who these people were. Moments later, he was cuffed tightly. Then, everything went black.One of the happiest moments of Theo's life was leaving Meresti station and getting out of the immediate area. The entire place put him on edge like nothing else. He'd rather be in the den of Super Mutants than stay in that place any longer.He hadn't seen any of The Family on their way out, but The Wanderer had said they sleep during the day, which was just fine in his eyes. The less he had to see those things, the better. Vance alone was something that terrified him to his very core. It was like every second his eyes were on him, he was deciding whether he was friend or food.Up ahead, they could see a small town surrounded by what was more or less a moat coming into view. “That's Big Town. It's where the kids of Little Lamplight go once they get too old to stay there.” The Wanderer said. Of course, they'd heard of the place. Up until a few years ago, it was constantly under siege by Super Mutants. They'd go in, take a few kids, and leave once or twice every couple of months. For the Super Mutants, it was like a kind of farm before The Wanderer showed up.Now, it was more or less a fortress town like Megaton. Walls had been built, buildings were constructed, and security was tight. It was a safe place for caravans to trade and rest at, and other travelers could find a place to bed down for the night there, though only former Little Lamplight residents could live there.A head popped up from the other side of the gate, covered by a security helmet that had a full-face visor. The head turned back, like they were saying something to someone else behind the wall, before hopping down. As The Wanderer and his group got closer, they could hear the noise from the town pick up.She'd seen it before at Megaton, but Reilly was still amazed at the reception Michael received from the settlements in the Wasteland. Not even the Brotherhood got that warm of a reception. Like before, the gates of the settlement opened before they even got to them.“Looks like you're pretty popular around here.” Reilly said.The Wanderer shrugged. “They were having trouble with a nest of Super Mutants nearby. Couple of them were kidnapped, including their only doctor at the time.”He didn't even need to explain what he had done about the situation for Reilly to understand the rest of the story. A nest of Super Mutants against The Wanderer? It wasn't even close to a fair fight.A dark-skinned young woman came running out to them. She wore a white, dingy shirt and brown cargo fatigues with a red bandana. As she got closer, Reilly could tell the shirt wasn't dingy from dirt. It was dried blood. She came to a stop right in front of them with a big smile on her face.“Wanderer! It's been a while since you've visited. Bittercup thought you'd finally gotten tired of her teasing.” She said, following them back toward the gates.“I've been busy. Had some things I needed to take care of.”The girl laughed. “We heard! Three Dog says you took down Talon Company. Said you took out a hundred guys with your bare fists!”The Wanderer shook his head. “Sounds like Three Dog's been taking creative liberties with my 'exploits'. I'll have to remind him to tone it down next time I'm downtown.”As the group passed through the gates, Reilly and Theo saw that nearly every eye was on The Wanderer, each of them holding immense admiration.“But you could do it! I remember watching you fight that one big Super-Mutant with a combat knife!”That got Reilly's attention. Super-Mutants were all big, but the bigger ones were referred to as either 'Masters' or 'Overlords'. They were bigger, meaner, and stronger than the typical Super Mutant. Their raw strength was greater than a Deathclaw's. He'd taken one on with a knife?“That was one on one, and he was fighting indoors. Didn't have full mobility. Plus, I didn't have time to reload, or I would've shot him instead. I've told you this, Red.”The girl, Red, let out a small laugh. “Yeah, but it was still amazing to see. When he hit you and you didn't move, I thought I must've been dreaming.”The Wanderer subconsciously flexed his left arm, the very same one he blocked the Super Mutant Overlord's strike with. It was usually a bad idea to take a hit you know you can dodge, but sometimes a show of force is a better way to catch an opponent off-guard. There was one thing that Super Mutants understood, and that was strength. It was a good way to make a point that it could clearly understand.Still, if he hadn't been tempered by the Wasteland the way he was, the hit would've shattered every bone in his arm and sent him flying into the wall. Instead, he only created some micro-fractures that had since been healed, strengthening his bones even further.“And I'll remind you not to try that yourself, Red. Anyways, I stopped by to talk to you about someone who should be coming to Big Town from Little Lamplight any day now.”Red tilted her head. “New kid? He someone special?”The Wanderer chuckled lowly. “He used to think he was. He is, or was, the mayor of Little Lamplight. He's a good kid, though. Tough as nails. Good shot with a rifle. When he gets here, I want you to show him the ropes. Once he's used to things, he'll make a good candidate for security on scavenging runs.”“Alright, I'll do what I can. But you know some of the kids we've gotten lately have been cocky little shits. Lost one of 'em the other day down in Germantown. Raiders. They set up camp there. We're working on getting a party together to deal with 'em.”The Wanderer's face darkened. Much of the materials used to build up Big Town came from Germantown. It wasn't too long of a trek and since the route passed by Meresti Trainyard, it was pretty safe, too. He turned to Reilly and Theo. “Change of plans. You two can check out the town for a couple of hours. Red will show you around.”“What about you?” Theo asked. He almost regret it when he saw a vast amount of maliciousness creep into The Wanderer's visage.“I'm going hunting.”Robert Joseph MacCready was not having a good day. In fact, it might be the absolute worst day he's ever had. Firstly, he officially had to give up his position as Mayor of Little Lamplight and move to Big Town. That wasn't so bad, except for the fact that Princess had been re-elected as he was leaving. The girl was just a couple of months younger than him, but she knew fuck-all about being a Mayor.Next, he was nearly killed by a Rad-Scorpion that had popped up behind him. As it was, he just barely managed to get away without any serious injuries. His little .38 revolver couldn't pierce the hard shell it had, so he'd been forced to use his rifle as a bit of a battering-ram to get it away so he could line up a shot. That had worked, but it also broke the scope of the rifle.The very same rifle The Wanderer had given him and taught him how to use. He'd been more than harsh with the man, but he was still willing to go that far to help him and Little Lamplight. An older model DKS-501, mostly found throughout the Capital Wasteland. The Wanderer had made some modifications, mostly internal, to improve the performance of the gun, but he also attached a suppressor to the rifle. With the scope broken, however, it wasn't nearly as useful as it otherwise would be.“Somebody help! Anybody!” MacCready heard a voice call out from far off. His first instinct was to spring into action, but The Wanderer had taught him to think things through. With his rifle's long-range capabilities hampered and only a snubnose .38 revolver as a backup, he didn't have much to fall back on. Still, at the very least he could find out who was calling for help and decide what to from there.Being careful not to make too much noise, he quickly made his way to where the voice had come from. As he slowly made his way up over a small hill he saw it. He saw them.Super-Mutants. Four of them, with a single prisoner wrapped up in rope. It wasn't a good angle, so he couldn't see the prisoner clearly, but the voice was definitely female. From what he could see, she was covered in some dirty, tattered garbs. The Super Mutants had made 'camp' in a small crater, which amounted to little more than starting a fire and sitting down. They were about 75 yards away from him.MacCready slid down his side of the hill, his heart pounding in his chest. He never liked Super-Mutants. They were monsters, through and through. They constantly attacked Little Lamplight for such a long time until The Wanderer came and put them down for good in Vault 87. That was when MacCready started wanting to be like The Wanderer. Strong. Brave. Smart. A hero. The Wanderer wouldn't leave that girl to die. He never let anyone die if he could reach them. He'd put his own life at risk to save another's, even if he was never thanked for it.MacCready's heartbeat slowed and he made his decision. If you want something, or want to be something, you had to start somewhere. Today, here was his somewhere. After ensuring his weapons were loaded, he made a plan.“Reilly isn't going to be happy about this.” Brick said, sneering at Sergeant Pepper. She'd been shocked when Pepper and 'his stooges' brought two tied-up and unconscious Regulators into the base. She knew they'd start pulling some shit after Reilly and The Wanderer were gone.He'd put them in what was more or less an interrogation room at the rear of the underground Fort. He'd seen plenty of people go into that room and not nearly as many come out. “They were snoopin' around. Despite what you might think, Regulators aren't all that great. They see the world in black and white, and Mercenary groups, any of them, are 'black'.”Donovan, who had heard the initial commotion and had come to check things out, was torn. Allowing anyone to snoop around their base of operations was a bad idea but taking them prisoner was going a bit far. Especially since they were Regulators, who were known for pursuing revenge for a fallen comrade.“Snooping or not, other Regulators won't hesitate to come after us if anything happens to those two. They're not pushovers.” Donovan said.Before responding, Pepper took out a cigarette and lit it, enjoying the small burn of his throat and lungs. “Look, I just did what I thought was best. Since both our leaders are gone, and you two haven't been so helpful lately, me an' my boys took care of it ourselves.”Brick grit her teeth at Pepper's response. Of course they weren't helpful with Talon Mercs. Why would they be? “Took care of it? You have no right or authority to do something like this! You're lucky Reilly let you in at all.”Sergeant Pepper audibly laughed, further enraging Brick. “Right? Authority? Remind me, missy, what kind of chain of command do the Rangers have?”None. The Rangers had always been a small, tightly-knit group. Dallas, Kira, and Theo were the only non-Brotherhood members who had been let in before, and two of them were dead. There was no need for a proper chain of command. Reilly was the leader, and failing that, Butcher was. Butcher was dead and Reilly was gone at the moment.“You could have at least consulted us about it.” Donovan said. Pepper laughed again.“Consult? How am I gonna do that when the four of you leave the room the second we enter it?” He asked. There was no response. He turned back towards the door where their temporary prisoners were, along with James and Mason, and entered, leaving the two senior Rangers alone.Big Town had transformed from a barely surviving settlement into a flourishing, secure town full of life. They weren't as big as Megaton or Rivet City, but the sheer selection of various wares for sale dwarfed that of the other two major settlements.Reilly saw several kinds of firearms that she'd only ever seen inside of Michael's home in Megaton, as well as leisure products like soaps, shampoos, and even perfumes. There was also a wide selection of food, ranging from the typical 'this never expires' boxed and canned foods to fresh produce and meats.The two Rangers weren't the only outsiders in Big Town, either. Various people from all over the wasteland could be seen, from poor Wastelanders to Caravaners. Big Town, Reilly realized, had become a major trade hub, and that was a significant change in the Wasteland. Before, other than Rivet City and Megaton, the only other trade hub was where the Caravans called home: Canterbury Commmons.So much had changed since 'The Wanderer' had stepped out of the Vault. She felt both proud of what Michael had managed to accomplish and scared of what might become of the Capital Wasteland once he was gone.“Reilly, check this out!” She heard Theo call. He was at a small booth that didn't seem to have much traffic around it. As she approached, she saw stacks of holotapes on the booth's table.“This guy's got every single Three Dog broadcast about The Wanderer. It goes all the way back to before he had that interview.” Theo said.The merchant behind the booth, a young man no older than 18 or so, nodded. “The first tape isn't entirely complete. We were just recording a song when Three Dog started talking about something that had happened downtown about someone in a Vault suit. But ever since then I've gotten every single one. I knew something big was coming and we had piles of these holotapes from the souvenir shop back at Lamplight.”This surprised Reilly. She hadn't started paying attention to Three Dog's broadcasts until The Enclave became involved, and even then she didn't catch them all. They were clearly numbered and there were several complete sets. Still, she was surprised they hadn't all been sold by now. Michael, 'The Wanderer' was a hero. Who wouldn't want to learn more about the most influential person the Wasteland has ever seen? She herself didn't know as much as she'd like about the man's past. If she could learn more about him, maybe she'd understand him better.“How much for a set?”“One more time. Tell me where you came from. Otherwise, I'll feed you to a Deathclaw.”“I told you, man! We came from Detroit! A buncha Brotherhood are moving in on the place, so there's been a huge turf war between us an' them! We heard this place was doing real well, so we-” He stopped, screaming in pain as a knife was driven into his right shoulder.“So you thought you'd set up shop here? Run away from a fight you can't win? Bad move. How'd you make it past the high-rad zones?”The Raider groaned in pain. “We snuck into The Pitt for supplies and found the rail tunnel. Waited until the slaves weren't paying attention and went through. Couldn't find a way around or through the storms.”That put his mind a bit at ease. Though there were unspeakable horrors hiding within the high-rad zones, that also kept the Capital Wasteland relatively safe from outside invasion. Still..Again, the Raider screamed out as the knife in his right shoulder was twisted, making a sickening crunching sound as the bones and cartilage was undoubtedly irreparably damaged.“Why did the Brotherhood move into Detroit?”“I don't know! Nobody told us shit! Those fucks were just killing everyone who refused to move out of the city!” He cried, barely able to speak coherently through the pain. But he had to. One of the others had been the first to be interrogated and the second he couldn't speak properly; he had a knife shoved through the side of his skull.That lined up with what he knew of the Brotherhood at large. Lyon's group, and even the Outcasts were anomalies. Passive or active goodwill wasn't their Modus Operandi. On some level they weren't entirely dissimilar from the Enclave, priorities notwithstanding. If the Midwestern Brotherhood was moving in on Detroit, there must be something there they want, and it has something to do with technology in some fashion. An untapped Vault or bunker, perhaps? Something else?“Hey, I told you what you wanted to know, right? You'll let me go now, right?!” The Raider begged.“Wrong.” came the reply, accompanied by a second knife pushing into the Raider's heart in an intentionally slow, malicious manner. The victims of Raiders begged for their lives, for mercy, all the time. Yet mercy never came. That's why he never showed any mercy to Raiders.The Wanderer stood from his crouched position, withdrawing his knives and wiping the blood off of them on the clothes of the newly deceased Raider. All around him were the bodies of nearly two dozen other Raiders. Shot, stabbed, impaled, decapitated. Their cause of death was all the same: Him. From the moment he saw them he could tell they weren't locals. Their armor and weaponry didn't match up, nor their accents.They also didn't seem to know who he was. The vast majority of Raiders in the Capital Wasteland knew full well who he was by now. That spoke volumes of how little traffic there was between there and Detroit. The most he knew about the place was that, much like The Pitt, it was a Raider-controlled city and that the history books said was one of the most technologically advanced cities in the world, which was likely behind why the Midwestern Brotherhood was moving in on the place. They must have found something.He'd have to get a message to the people he'd left in charge of The Pitt to tighten their security. If a group this large had gotten past them, it could be assumed that others could as well. The last thing he wanted was for Raiders fleeing Detroit to funnel into the Capital Wasteland.The Wanderer turned around and began his trek back to Big Town. He didn't want to waste any more time. Especially when he didn't know how much was left before the next major conflict. Knowing that the route was clear, he indulged himself a little and turned on his Pip-Boy radio.
Oh yeah, I'm the type of guy that likes to roam around
I'm never in one place, I roam from town to town
And when I find myself a-fallin' for some girl
Yeah, I hop right into that car of mine and drive around the world
Yeah, I'm the wanderer
Yeah, the wanderer
I roam around, around, around...