7. Back to Reality

After three chapters of flashback I want to accompany my readers back to the story's real time-line. For now let us put aside the past; how Dr. Ronin became the Brotherhood of Steel's hero, when deep in her heart she remained true to the Enclave's ideas. How she got back Sweet-E, who nowadays was believed to be only a ghost, who when it appears the Enclave soldiers can tie their pants up, and the warriors will not particularly need any sleeping pills or other sedatives.

After the misterious warrior woman fainted in the Underworld's "gate", Fawkes and Quinn brought her to clinic. There, Barrows, the ghoul doctor, after a brief investigation concluded that there is nothing wrong with the woman outside of exhaustion. They need to let the woman to sleep, and she'll be fine, said the doctor. At the request of Quinn, Elaine was allowed to remain in the clinic until she recovers.

She almost slept twelve hours, while Renegade checked her dream. The white Eyebot didn't abandon her, not only for a second.

The white gadget stayed there, guarding her conscientiously, and if anyone went close to the woman, he went so close to the person as close he could, to protect his master with all existing weapons he had.

The doctor was afraid of him he wanted the Eyebot to be as far away as possible. He never ever liked Cerberus, but he coupled with bad memories to the Enclave and their Eyebots.

Somehow he would have been happier if he not Winthrop sees enter at the door with a smooth skin, but the drone steps out.

However this did not happen, as I said, the handyman came into the clinic, although he wasn't in need of medicines. He accompanied but a human, who was accepted a member by the members of the Underworld, and whose interest was piqued after what this person heard from Fawkes.

"Ah, our favorite Vault Dweller!" said the doc, extending his hand to the leather armored warrior, who wore a Pib-Boy. "How may I help you?"

Withrop responded instead: "The wastes very new favorite, Renegade was the motive".

The white Eyebot turned beeping to the company. He flew directly to Elaine's bed, and just to be sure, he even armed his weapon.

"Hey, metallic Owl!" retrograded Winthrop. "No one wants to hurt you! And I thought that this is remote-controlled little owl, but apparently it's programmed more seriously..."

The Pib-Boy at the arm of the Lone Wanderer suddenly began to flash, and after the hero of the Wastes checked the device the group almost fell backwards when the Pib-Boy began to play the following text.

"According to my primary programming my duty is to protect Dr. Elaine Ronin. Anyone, who wants to hurt her, will be disarmed definitively!"

"Fuck…"ran out of the mouth of Quinn. "This came from Renegade?"

"Yes, it seems so…" the doctor nodded.

"Listen, little owl" said Winthrop to Renegade, after he was near the exit of the clinic, and his hand was on the doorknob. "We want no harm to Dr. Ronin! Speaking of which, don't you want to go to your Enclave buddies? They could use a little support! Liberty Prime will soon begin to fight against the commies…"

"My assembling, programming and development happened truly at Enclave base, but I, Renegade, am standing at Dr. Ronin's service. Arrest warrant is in effect against Dr. Ronin, so according to the eleventh point of my defensive program, on command, or if my operator is unconscious or killed I'm allowed to launch an attack on all Enclave tech weapon or armor. If necessary beside my energy charges, I can use all my weapons for what my programming is authorizing me!"

"So that's how he knocks out those Power Armored freaks…" Quinn mused.

"I think our dear friend is interested at the weaknesses of the Enclave." Said the doctor, looking at the Lone Wanderer. "Renegade, we're on your master's, Dr. Ronin's side. We need her, your help. What do you know about the Power armor and the plasma weapons, used by the Enclave?"

"I'm allowed to share confidential information only after receiving the correct password".

"Listen, Renegade!" said Quinn "We really are in need of some help. The Enclave threatens innocent lives! I understand that you were made by them, but don't forget that Dr. Ronin is also a wanted person. If caught, certain death awaits her!"

The Lone Wanderer put a hand on Quinn's shoulder and silently motioned for the man to stop his begging, and Renegade remained silent. Perhaps the little machine was waiting for the correct password…

Elaine slept through the whole conversation. She woke up at the midnight, when the clinic was almost empty. Only Quinn was sleeping in a remote bed. Elaine got up, but the ghoul also awakened to the waking sounds.

The woman looked through Renegade's programming, and founding everything in order, she decided that it's time to leave. However, Quinn got in her way.

"Dr. Ronin!" he said. "I want to talk to you!"

'We have nothing to talk about!" replied the woman. "While it is true that I am grateful that you provided cover above my head, while I was sleeping, but now I have to go!"

"We know, who you are, Dr. Ronin!"

"Then you are all wrong! Everyone is wrong who assumes to know Dr. Elaine Ronin!'

"The Enclave took control over the Jefferson! Several people died there. Among them innocent civilians, and I fear that if they manage to activate the facility, even more people will die! The Lone Wanderer told me about the terrible things he experienced at the Enclave's headquarters".

"…"

"Dr. Ronin, please… the stakes are huge…"

"Dr. Ronin died seven years ago. She was pronounced dead! She was lost at the Citadel. Now let that ghost to rest in peace!"

"Please… You were there, you saw with your own eyes, what those beasts are capable of! They are planning something big at the Jefferson Memorial! Without you we have much less chance against them!"

Her hands clenched as she looked up. She stared at the cracked plaster, as she wanted to read the right answer from the ceiling.

She was thinking for two, maybe three minutes before she lowered her head and had turned towards to ghoul.

"You know someone from there, who has been in the Citadel in the past?" she asked, while she was in a bad mood.

"The Lone Wanderer had gone" Quinn thought about it. "But Fawkes and Charon are still here! Both accompanied him, perhaps they were around there as well".

"Call them!"

Quinn went out, but returned about five minutes later, behind him with the two other summoned persons.

Charon languidly followed the ghoul adventurer, while Fawkes has had to take care of his every move, not to destroy any medical equipment or other supplies.

Elaine was sitting at Nurse Graves's computer and was working on something at the moment.

She tried to hack an Enclave server, but she had no success in it, and in fact she had to be very careful not to trace back her attempts, 'cause in that case, she would have offered the heads of the residents on a gold plate to President Eden and to his drastic experiments.

"Tsk…" she sighed in annoyance. "It will be harder than I thought it".

"They both came!" said Quinn. "Just as you asked!"

Fawkes came closer to her then he asked the first question what he had on his mind: "What's your plan? For although it is true that we accompanied our friend to the Citadel, but they will not let us in, without him!"

Elaine turned, then stood and turned to face the two muties, whom both were once the Lone Wanderer's companions.

She looked at them, and then suddenly she took her hat off, without a word uttered, causing her curly, light brown hair to fall over her shoulder.

In her next step she got rid of her kerchief, which she used to cover her face.

The moment she removed the cover from her face, Fawkes and Charon staggered. They began mumbling and looking at each other, and immediately after back at Elaine. They stared at her like they're seeing a ghost.

"H-How…" Charon stuttered. "How is this even possible? You look exactly like…"

"I know!" Elaine interjected in a bitter tone. "I got in a lot of unpleasant events thanks to this fact! You think, you can enter the Citadel with me?"

"That's for sure!" Charon nodded.

Fawkes saw eye to eye with Charon's statement, but however he wanted to warn the group as well: "We have to be cautious not to run into your doppelganger"

"However, your problem isn't solved here" continued Elaine. "We can't simply hack the colonel's terminal, but if we want Liberty Prime to safety arrive to the Jefferson, we have to interrupt the connection between the colonel and the Adams Air Force Base! In recent time the Enclave wasn't busy only with the development of plasma weapons. Their main aim was the improvement of a weapon, named Gatling Laser, and to develop a brand new armor, the Hellfire armor. If the soldiers will be equipped with those, the Brotherhood of Steel is almost going to suffer defeat and the secret weapon: the robot will be unable to help them! Renegade joined the Pibboy of Three Dog's favorite teenager and according to the data on it, Liberty Prime in its current state may stop at any time, even in the middle of the fight, not to say that its security establishment is quit out of date! If it is sent out like this, a clever technician of the Enclave can reprogram without difficulty, to see the Brotherhood of Steel as its enemies. I can set up the appropriate precautions only at the robot's control unit. And for this reason, I must get into the Citadel. But I warn you: I just equalize your odds, I will not fight anybodies fight!"

Renegade also agreed. As Elaine stopped her speech, the Eyebot turned on the radio player which played exactly the Enclave Radio station's broadcast. And let someone say that the sweet, little owl isn't patriotic…