Here's Chapter 4! It's a lot shorter than the others, and not much happens, but it should get very interesting after this. I thought I'd have more free time to get this chapter out faster, but apparently not. Oh well, I update faster than most on this site, I think. Enjoy!

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Zack ran his fingers through his hair, it felt strange to him. His hair was usually cut as short as he trusted Wadsworth to cut it. Memories of another robot destroying his birthday cake made him a bit skittish when it came to trusting robots to cut anything. Short hair was less of a hassle to deal with, and it never got in his eyes in inconvenient times. No one could grab a handful of it, either. He hadn't been in his "guest room" for very long, but it had been a while. He let out an exasperated sigh, he was trying not to think about the decision he would have to make sometime in the near future, so he distracted himself with much less pressing matters. It was early in the morning, and he didn't want to wake Hope, so he just sat, alone with his thoughts.

Hope, on the other hand was waiting for him. He had always been the one to summon her, and she didn't feel right just barging in on him. Once she heard his raspy unused morning-voice, she jumped up and went throught the doors.

"How's your hand today?" she asked politely, as if there weren't larger dilemmas to be worrying about.

He held his crooked hand, which was injured from a violent punch to the door in his temporary fit of rage. That seemed so long ago, he was surprised that she had remembered.

"It's healed up very nicely since you patched it up." he said appreciatively. She had a seat on the floor next to him, ready to discuss the more grave topics.

"Have you gotten anywhere?" she asked, hoping that he had made more progress than her.

"Yes, actually. I've been thinking, all night. It's my sense of justice, Hope. I can't do this. I don't want a superior race, I want the human race. There are other ways to help it succeed. Mankind has an obligation to always, always protect the helpless. If we kill innocent people, we're no better than the Super Mutants, there will be no moral ground to stand upon. Where will it end, if I go along with this? What other atrocities will I have to commit against humanity to uphold this... Garden of Eden?" he had worked himself up with such vehemence, he had to pause. Hope made a look that said she wanted him to continue, so he did.

"I'm sure the members of the Enclave are very competent, but, and I mean no offense by this, they're ignorant. Not generally ignorant, and not out of their own consent, but they just don't know about the President, his plans, what's really going on. I've gotten the notion that you have the need-to-know policy to an entirely different degree. On top of that, you're the only person I've met in the Enclave that is actually human. The rest just seem like dogs. Very faithful, loyal dogs, but dogs nonetheless."

Hope couldn't help but agree. They all did follow a very deceptive President, and they were trained not to question, but to serve. It was an easy life, to have someone else call all the shots, but she now knew how simple it is to be taken advantage of when you're so unquestioning.

"I honestly couldn't see the Enclave soldiers rebuilding society." he added "And once you did, would Eden still control you? In my vault, we had an Overseer just like Eden, who had absolute control. When the shit hit the fan, as it always will, there was horrific disarray that nearly resulted in the destruction of the vault. The only way to save the vault was to execute the Overseer. I still think about it to this day, but I have no regrets, it was necessary. I know from experience the peril of totalitarianism. I just wish that I could release all of your minds from Eden's powerful grip. Imagine, the Enclave and Wastelanders working together! That's what this country needs."

"But it won't."

"It won't." he agreed sadly "You don't suppose we could expose Eden's secret?"

Hope could almost laugh at this "You think anyone would believe us over him? I wouldn't have believed you if I hadn't heard it all myself. I'm still trying to cope with this lack of trust in him. He was my idol. You've come and flipped my entire life upside down, but now my eyes are open. I'm starting to agree with you, Zack. This FEV, it can't be right, you can tell just from the name. My mind is still fighting to accept Eden's ideas, but I can't. I only wish that the Enclave and the mutated Wastelanders could coexist, but I don't see how that could possibly happen."

Zack had a dejected look on his face as he stared forward into space. Again, he was a trapped animal, having to play by Eden's rules

"It looks like my options have stayed the same. Escape, or see Eden. How about we elope, Hope?"

She gave him a look of fear, and hesitated before answering.

"Zack I can't leave. I've dedicated my whole life to this organization. We can pull it together, Eden is brilliant. I'm sure he can fix everything if-"

"Is that what you truly think?" he asked in a critical voice.

She froze, not prepared for him to question her belief, and she was forced to actually think about what she was saying.

"Y-yes," she replied weakly.

He stared at her with a twinkle in his boyish blue eyes, an action that confused her. She thought he would argue with her, and be angry, but it was quite the opposite. It was adoration, not for Hope herself, but for her loyalty. Though he wished she had consented to try to escape, he respected her faithfulness. Even though they both knew that Eden was twisted, she tried to defend him, rather than count him out. He was still proud of the fact that she was in fact able to see Eden's flaws.

"What?" she asked annoyedly.

"Nothing," his amusement revealed with his voice. "But that doesn't help with getting out of this predicament. I don't think anything we say now will. I suppose I can talk to Eden tomorrow, to see if there are any compromises, but for now, let's talk about more pleasant things, shall we?"

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The men and women of Charlie's Angels continued their laborous journey seeking civilization. They had a few more dangerous encounters with some Super Mutants, but nothing a few stimpacks couldn't fix. In fact, the trip was starting to become bland again. That is, until they stumbled upon a queer rocky outcrop. Once they ventured closer, a member noticed a figure, clad in thick Tesla Armor. She meant to alert the group, but the stranger saw them first. A few laser blasts and some burning flesh later, everyone was aware of the armored soldier. A few other Enclave soldiers joined in on the fight, but there weren't many guarding the exteriors of the base. Those that were had been ordered to shoot everything that didn't have the Enclave seal on sight. Which was one of the many reasons the Enclave traveled mostly by vertibirds.

Though the Enclave soldiers had more advanced weaponry, they were grossly outnumbered, and Charlie's Angels didn't mess around. They may not have had top-of-the-line technology, but they were damn good scavengers, and repairmen. All of their weapons were the best they could get their hands on, and it was enough to take down the three soldiers. The battle didn't come without consequence, and two of the mercenaries had been seriously injured. Their wounds actually smoked, and the mercs that were deemed the medics scrambled to the wounded. Their skin had been scorched in the damaged areas. There was little to do with the resources they had, so their only option was use tepid water to clean the burns. They proceeded to wrap cloth around scalds, and advised the victims to not pick at any blisters. While this was happening, Charlie and the other unoccupied mercenaries wandered over to their fallen enemies' bodies. They discovered the excellent arms the soldiers had been wielding, and tried to analyze them. They decided to add the weapons to their arsenal, and moved on to the armor.

They couldn't even remove the armor, much less try to use it. After a while, they gave up, figuring their own armor would suffice. While investigated the carcasses, they noticed a large, metal door leading into the offshoot. Inferring that it was a base of some sort, they headed back to the platoon to impart their newfound knowledge, and to strategize. Charlie wasn't the only one trying to decide the best course of action, he allowed every member to express their opinion. They were trying to decide whether or not they should infiltrate the station, or to hightail.

Interestingly, nearly all of the soldiers expressed a desire to invade, regardless of the dangers. They were an adventurous lot, and after the Laser Rifles were presented to them, they were excited to discover what other technology the headquarters had harbored. Of course, the opposing sides' concerns were hazards, uncertainty, time consumption, and depletion of their ammo supply.

Majority rules with Charlie's Angels, and they soon began formulating a plan of action.

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"How nice to see you again! Have you made your decision?" Eden cried upon seeing Zack. Hope had taken her position on the stairs where she could hear Eden, but remain unseen.

"Yes."

"And you have chosen the virtuous verdict?"

"I have."

"Very good, Mr. Valerico!" Eden exclaimed, elated beyond belief.

Gathering his wits, Zack took a breath and looked straight at Eden. Somehow, he still had a cocksure air to him, despite the bad news he was about to bring Eden.

"I'm afraid that you may not be pleased with my selection. I cannot murder all of those people."

"What did you just say?" Eden asked wearily.

"I didn't stutter."

"I... I see. I must say, I'm deeply disappointed in you. You were meant for great things. Are you certain you want to decline my generous offer, knowing full well that the consequences of such an ungrateful mistake will indubitably end in death?"

"I am."

"Right then, you will be executed tomorrow, when I see fit to it. Until then, you can always change your mind, you know."

"Why won't you kill me now?"

"You are dismissed."

Zack gave him one last look, a cold glare, and left.

He didn't want to end Zack's life. He had thought of Zack as a precious gem, something that even the Enclave could not forge. It wasn't as if Zack was the only one who could insert the FEV virus into the purifier, he may have been the only living being to know the code, but they could certainly guess it. But Eden wanted Zack to be his right hand man, if he would infect the purifier, Eden could trust him. Eventually, Eden wanted Zack to take over the Enclave entirely. The new world could have used a figurehead they could physically see, and it was about time for him to retire. But, if Zack would not comply on his own accord, he couldn't force him to.

When Hope and Zack returned to the cell, a short, uncomfortable silence greeted them. What could they possibly say?

"I...I'm sorry."

Zack scoffed at the anemic apology, "Save it. As far as I'm concerned, you're my executioner. Surely, you put your unfaltering support into whatever your cherished godhead decrees! It's laughable, how asinine you all are. How, dear Hope, do you still mistake a machine for Divinity? You would kill thousands, just to please a slick voice armed with pretty words!"

Hope did not break out and cry, or even flinch at the outrage. She didn't feel resentment, or a need to be defensive. She couldn't blame Zack for his behavior, and knew him better than to think he meant it all. She talked to him softly, and patiently, trying to make her voice comforting.

"No, I wouldn't. Why would you say that?"

She couldn't have chosen better words to say, as Zack immediately calmed. His animosity dissolved into dejection, and it was his turn to atone. He did not apologize verbally, but instead fell to the ground and let her join him. It was almost a facsimile of the moment they had after Eden's proposition.

"I don't want to die, Hope." he confided quietly.

She looked at the greatest man she had ever met, and whispered "I know,"

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Not a lot happens here, and yeah, it was really just to set up Chapter 5, but I'll try to make up for it. It's football season though, and between playing football, watching football, and fantasy football, I'm hard-pressed for time. Yeah, I'm fanatical.

Oh, and Mizzou won last week! We CRUSHED Illinois, as usual. I'm proud to say I was able to attend that game. Today, we're about to beat the tar out of Bowling Green! If you have no idea what I'm talking about, just know that Mizzou is the most important thing in life. And the kansas jayhawks are the lowest scum of the earth (never capitalize kansas, or jayhawks).