Sally blamed the Enclave for the deaths. She had been fighting them since their Captain Autumn had caused her father's death over three years earlier. He had tried to force her father to work for them but instead he had filled the control room of the purifier with deadly radiation to save the project from falling into the hands of the enemy. The Captain, ensconced in a radiation resistant duster, had escaped but her father hadn't. He had lain there, in a state of preserved agony. No one had entered the control room since the radiation had never been vented. No one until Sally opened the door and stepped over his body, the radiation burning through her like fire.

The Enclave had taken control of the purifier though they didn't have the activation code. It was damaged during the battle to regain control of it and she had been forced to activate the purifier prematurely to save the facility, and the project, from being destroyed by the building pressure. She had gone into the radiation filled control room that had become her father's tomb and typed in the activation code she had held secret those past years. She had expected to join her father in his tomb for eternity. Instead, she had lived.

In the three months since the activation she had become obsessed with the Enclave. If it hadn't been for their attempted take- over of Project Purity, the activation would have happened in a much more controlled manner, and maybe the explosion wouldn't have claimed so many lives.

She had been angered even further when she came across an Enclave camp and cracked their computer. The soldiers had orders to test all wastelander's DNA before letting them have any of the purified water. If the person was found to have mutations they were flamed to death. No wonder the Enclave hated her! She had to be everything they worked against. Sally had become determined to eliminate their evil from the wasteland, whatever the cost to herself.

They were crouched on a small hill observing the Enclave encampment through field glasses. "Stay here", she told Hawk, putting away the glasses and taking up her rifle. It was one she had taken off an Enclave soldier months before.

"Not likely," he responded grimly, snapping his own helmet in place. The encampment was in an entirely open area so there wouldn't be any sneaking up on them. They moved quietly under cover of darkness to get as close as they could. Suddenly the alarm went up. Sally leapt to her feet and charged forward with a loud, vicious battle cry, as berserker as the big super mutant stampeding ahead of her, his mini-gun blazing.

The battle was short and vicious. All the soldiers were dead. Sally strolled among them with her combat knife to make sure none were still breathing. They bent to the task of stripping the dead and gathering salvage although Sally seemed to be working more out of habit than inclination. It seemed to take longer than usual but finally all of the salvage had been gathered and sealed in locked containers to transport later.

Hawk was worried. Sally was moving sluggishly, and even with the aid of stimpaks, she didn't seem to be healing. Stimpaks held some healing properties but their main use was their ability to stop all pain. Sally wasn't feeling any pain. Suddenly she sat down.

"I can't go any more, Hawk.", she said. "I'm so tired." Hawk wasn't in very good shape himself. Two of the soldiers had flamers and knew how to use them.

Hawk quickly knelt beside her. He helped her get her armor off so he could check her over. Burns ran down her arms and over her body. Even her armor couldn't stop a flamer. He was more concerned with the holes peppering her abdomen, the blood spreading out and dripping to the ground. They should be closing but instead her gut seemed to be larger than normal.

Something was really wrong but it was beyond his abilities. Snatching out a blanket he wrapped her to keep her warm and gathered her up in his arms. She needed a doctor and the nearest one was in DC. It would take him at least all night and into the next day to reach the Citadel. He set out at a trot. A light snow began to flurry around them.

Hawk was spotted at the city's edge by a Brotherhood guard. He quickly sent word to the Citadel. The big super mutant was barely trudging in, struggling under the light weight. Burns and wounds covered their bodies. A cart was quickly obtained to haul in the big guy who couldn't go any further.

The surgery was crowded as Dr. Bening worked on Sally trying to find the reason she wasn't healing as before. He finally found a damaged artery that had stopped healing so that blood was leaking out. Although she appeared fully human Sally had undergone several mutations that left her able to use radiation and blood to heal herself, but now she had run out of resources, and she was running out of blood as it leaked into her abdomen.

He cleaned out the blood, fixed the artery, and watched. He didn't see any more leaks. He closed her back up and adjusted her blood bags and IV radiation. She didn't exhibit the rapid breathing or accelerated heart rate of the regeneration cycle she had undergone after the explosion that had cleaned the waters of radiation.

Sally, Hawk and the Elder's daughter Sarah were the only known survivors of the explosion that had occurred when Sally had typed in the activation code to the water purifier. Now clean water ran in the Potomac, but Sally had lost her father to the project, and her lover, Captain Jack Lelland of the trading vessel Tradewind, was missing, leaving her consumed with pain and anger.

While Dr. Bening worked on Sally an assistant was evaluating Hawk, who was less severely wounded, and tending to his care. The big super mutant had started healing as soon as he was given the proper resources. They hadn't had to operate on him since he hadn't suffered a bleeder. He hadn't entered a regeneration cycle either.

Dr. Bening wondered if that had just been an effect of the GECK radiation that had radiated out from the activation. All three of the survivors had been in a coma and exhibited cycles of rapid heart rate, accelerated breathing, and high fevers. Hawk had wakened after only a week and Sally a week later. Sarah had quit cycling and her vital signs were stable but she still remained comatose. Dr. Bening had no way of knowing if the crew of the Tradewind, which had been caught downstream in the explosion, had shown the same symptoms. The ship had sailed out of the Potomac to the sea and hadn't returned on its regular schedule.

Hawk was now resting on the big bed that had been brought in for him after the explosion at the purifier. As soon as Sally was stabilized she was brought in and put on a bed beside his so an aide could monitor their condition and keep the radiation adjusted until their healing was completed.

It had taken over 2 weeks before Sally had regained consciousness as the doctor had kept her sedated. Hawk had been bedridden as long, the burns taking longer to heal than most wounds.

Hawk had finally healed enough to get up to take a shower. Sally was big on hygiene and he didn't want her to wake to the smell of sweating super mutant. With the water running he didn't hear her call out to David as she roused from her coma.

She had been up and about for almost a week and now she was restless. The Brotherhood expended a lot of resources on these two, keeping them alive, but they had made a deal with them. As long as Dr. Bening was able to record their sessions and keep samples for research, the Brotherhood would foot the bill for their treatments.

It had been three months since the explosion and the Tradewind hadn't returned. It would soon be winter and the river would freeze over. She held little hope the Tradewind crew had not been affected or they would have returned by now. If they didn't come soon they wouldn't be able to make another round trip before winter. She couldn't sit around here worrying, she would go crazy.

As Hawk came out of the shower he found her studying her limited wardrobe of battle armor.

"We're going out scavenging?", he asked hopefully, though he was sure of the answer.

"I'm going hunting.", she said coldly, tossing a suit on the bed. "This one'll do."

Hawk opened his wardrobe and took out the armor that had been repaired by the Brotherhood craftsman. The last one he had worn was completely ruined and he had ordered a new one but it wouldn't be ready for at least another week.

"We're going hunting.", he said firmly. She didn't respond.

The young paladin stopped them before they could leave the base. The Elder wanted to see them. Sally looked at Hawk then agreed. She would see what he wanted. If it involved killing Enclave she was all set to go. Anything else and he could wait.


Okay, we've caught up with the story so far, just a little synopsis from Genesis. Up next: Sally and Hawk take on the Enclave. The wasteland is changing, but can our duo change with it?