One
The Hawks Talon
Pre-war, D.C was the figurehead for a nation being united. Now? It's decaying shell of its former self. I was trying to save it. Yet instead of helping me, other organizations try to kill me. The Talon Company, the Enclave. They all hunted me.
The Enclave wanted to restore America to its past glory and democracy. But failed in basic human rights. Inhuman tests, the killing of innocent wastelanders. I didn't even look at what happened inside Raven Rock. I saw only the Death Squads.
That was 3 years ago. After I started the water purifier in the Jefferson monument, that all changed. Enclave soldiers were reforming outside of the Capital Wasteland. Under the project name of 'Broken Steel' they were using satellite bombardments to take out key targets. The brotherhood only found out during a raid on a Enclave base. They used it to destroy the mech, Liberty Prime.
Overall I found the Enclave launch platform and destroyed it. Unfortunately, several Enclave Vertibirds escaped from the platform. One was carrying An Enclave Lieutenant named Kane. I was tracking him for years. He was a Raider. But not the psycho-addicts I faced. He was addicted to Mentats. He was a warfare genius. He was fantastic in any combat.
He was headstrong and a sociopath. He apprenticed under me for first 2 years of my Knight-ship. Then…
Then this happened:
Down Town DC was heavy with ruined buildings.
The concrete was cracked and crumbled along the road. A squad of 5 men where maneuvering around this swab of ruined concrete. One of them was secured in T51b armor, That was me. The other 3 were Knights and Initiates that were on a recon-op. The fifth was Kane.
Their heavy boots crunched under gravel and the stone road. They toted Laser and plasma weapons. They were oblivious to any danger. Or the 9 heavily armed men in combat armor looking down at them in the buildings around them.
Talon mercs. I didn't see them, nor did anyone else. They focused fire on me. I was packing the most weapons. The bullets sounded like rain drops on metal. But I knew they would penetrate everyone else's armor.
"Run!" I yelled to them, as bullets rained from above. We were at a horrible position in a firefight. "Down the alley, go!" One of the initiates took out an assault rifle and tried to shoot as many men as he could. I got to give the kid credit. He had heart. I just wish he didn't waste it. He exploded from a missile blast. It all gets hazy after that. I remember taking out my Mirv, A fatman that launched 8 mini-nukes, and shot at the mercs. The building lit up with nuclear fire. I could hear the building crumbling.
"Oh god," I could barely hear the words slip out of my mouth. Everything seemed to get slow. Kane was at the event horizon of the collapse. He turned and looked at me. He didn't even try to run. He embraced his death. Pure adrenaline kicked in. I wasn't thinking. I was just keeping a friend safe. Amazing how that turns on you. The grey wave of concrete came crumbling. I couldn't reach Kane.
He was lost to me. Just like Sarah. Just like Amata.
Just like dad.
Everyone I love,
Goes away,
In the end.
