Vertibird East 7: Surprise
Time seemed to stand still; Jack remembered the pulse field from the anchorage simulation if the Anchorage Scenario was true they were royally fucked if that field went active. Nothing happened, and utter silence fell over Grayditch.
"Nothing happened." Arcade breathed a sigh of relief. Jack, the Remnant, Lyon's pride and the half a dozen additional knights they brought with them also breathed a sigh of relief.
[Meanwhile in the generator room]
"Activate the pulse field" Nathaniel's orders came over the radio.
"Lets fry those fuckers" Victor smirked turning to Dutch just in time to see a fist impact with his face. Victor went stumbling to the floor dazed and confused.
"You asshole, what the hell are you doing!" Victor pulled himself to his feet and caught an incoming roundhouse kick.
"Dutch you traitor" Victor screamed before giving Dutch an uppercut. He reached for his assault rifle but Dutch knocked it out of his hands.
"Come on Vic lets settle this mono-eh mono." Dutch smirked running a comb through his greaser hair while tossing aside his own 10mm submachine gun.
"So be it." Victor answered coldly before hitting Dutch upside the head with a police baton. In response Dutch tackled Victor to the ground, they wrestled for a few moments before Victor came out on top pinning Dutch and pressing the baton to Dutch's neck determined to watch the light fade from his eyes or to watch them pop out of his skull either was fine.
"Your mommas ever tell you how fucking ugly you are." Dutch kicked Victor off him sending the scar-faced man tumbling. "Jesus Christ I could see your fucking teeth through that hole in your cheek." Butch threw aside the dropped baton and got to his feet.
"My dad killed my ungrateful bitch of a mother." Victor swung twice at Dutch who effortlessly tumbled around behind him and gave a swift kick to his back. Victor impacted the wall and smiled when he saw the power switch.
"Dutch Victor activates the fucking pulse field!" Nathaniel's voice screamed over the radio.
"I don't think so." Dutch grabbed Victor and tossed him across the room. Deciding the fun was over Victor lunged for his Assault Rifle and he had just laid his fingers on it when Dutch kicked it away. Dutch went tumbling to the floor when Victor yanked his leg out from under him. Hoping to his feet Victor rushed for the generator switch and where Dutch had kicked his assault rifle. He swept up the gun and whirled around in time to see Dutch open fire with his recovered SMG.
"You missed!" Victor mocked.
"Did I?" Dutch smirked.
Victor looked back to see the smoking generator before it exploded sending him flying to the ground. Dutch gave him one last swift kick to the head to make sure he was out before exiting through the door and into the utility tunnel beneath the old pillared building.
With a pain filled groan Victor pulled himself to his feet. "Fucking greasy traitor." For a minute Victor thought about going after him but decided survival was more important the brotherhood would be storming this place any second. After quickly stripping off his armor he climbed into a nearby locker and closed himself inside.
When no pulse field went active it didn't take long before the brotherhood stormed the building. The Talon Mercenaries and pinned everything on their trap and it failed. With in minutes the remaining mercs had either been killed or had surrendered.
Arcade and the Remnant followed Jack back out of the building as he kicked a handcuffed Nathaniel out the door.
"I don't understand, this wasn't supposed to happen why didn't the fucking pulse field activate!" the former commander yelled, as he got back to his feet, rather impressively considering his hands were tied behind his back. He looked to see a group of knights tossing Dutch into the air.
"Dutch Lebario you fucking treacherous dog!" he screamed while being hauled off. The Knights set Dutch down who swaggered over to Jack. The two stared at one another for a moment.
"Jack!" Dutch yelled out stretching his arms.
"Butch!" Jack responded tossing his helmet aside. The two laughed and joined in a brotherly hug.
"Whose this?" Daisy questioned.
"This one of my oldest friends in the world Butch DeLoria." After Jacks introduction Butch gave a little bow.
"I used to bully him back in the vault."
"And in returned I beat the snot out of him." Jack laughed.
"Not all the time." Butch countered. "Remember the time we knocked each other out at the same time."
"Oh yeah" Jack laughed. "Amata said her father never laughed so long or so hard, how's she doing by the way?" At those words Butch looked like he was choking.
"Same as always, no time for boys to busy as The Overseer." Arcade could tell Butch was hiding something. It was painfully obvious he looked incredibly guilty.
"So why were the brotherhood giving you the hero treatment?" Johnson questioned.
"Well" Butch explained smugly. "I few weeks ago I infiltrated Talon Company and learned they we're planning a trap for the brotherhood. As luck would have it Nathaniel put be in charge of the pulse fields power generator the day before you attacked!" The old remnant looked at one another for a moment and nodded before hoisting Butch into the air.
"He's lying." Arcade said.
"I know." Jack sighed. "Amata and I were close growing up if I hadn't been forced to leave the vault behind forever I probably would have married her."
"So he's trying to protect your feelings?" the doctor guessed.
"Most likely, never mind the fact I moved on with my life. What would make me happy" Jack tapped his chest. "Is hearing she's moved on as well"
"Something's troubling me tough" Arcade leaned against the building, watching his family toss Butch into the air. "A pulse field is a highly advanced piece of technology how did these mercenaries manage to implement one"
"I can answer that." Paladin Glade exited the building pushing along indignant middle-aged woman with her hands tied behind her back. "She helped them implement the field."
"Anna Holt" Jack sneered.
"Friend of yours?" Arcade quipped.
"Hardly" Jack cracked his knuckles. "She was one of the scientists working on Project Purity before The Enclave attacked."
"How did you survive?" Arcade asked before she could answer Jack interrupted
"Treason" Jack answered. "She betrayed Dr Li, my father, the other scientists she threw her lot in with the Enclave." Anna said nothing but avoiding looking him in the eye.
"How did you escape Raven's Rock?" Jack watched that place blow sky high no one could have survived and if my some miracle they did they'd be buried under tons of rubble.
"I climbed aboard one of the last Vertibirds." She snarled. "They had the most advanced technology in the world and you killed them. Are you proud of yourself."
"You betrayed everyone you ever knew to play with shiny tech." Arcade could have sworn the fury in Jack's voice made even his power armor tremble. "They murdered Janice!" the Lone Wanderer raged. "In cold blood but you don't care about that do you?"
"It was more then just shiny tech, the things at their disposal scientific wonders like serums that could render he subject completely immune to radiation"
"And how many human captives did they sacrifice testing the miracle Rad-X." Jack snarled.
"Fifty-seven according to the records I read, but that sacrifice is minor compared to…." Her awe inspired justification was quickly interrupted, by Arcade slapping her.
"You can't possibly think that kind of research is justifiable, you're a monster!" Jack was certainly surprised by the doctors sudden out burst but not disappointed. Experimentations on Human subjects were one of the things that made Arcade ashamed of the Enclave.
"Take her to Rivet City" Jack ordered. "The local council should decide her fate." Glade nodded and led her off to one of the waiting Vertibirds.
"So what happens to us now?" Arcade asked deciding to put his anger at Janice's ethics or lack thereof behind. Janice unnerved him as she clearly brought back some negative feelings Jack held towards the Enclave.
"You live to fight another day solider!" Arcade's armor chimed in.
"You're free to go, you can stay here try and make a life for yourselves in Grayditch." Jack pointed to the ground. "Or mind your fortune elsewhere." He gestured to the horizon.
"Any chance we can get our old weapons and armor back?" The two burst out laughing the moment the words left his mouth. "You might be able to keep that armor though"
"No thank you"
It was then the noticed the celebratory crowd had gone silent. The crowd parted revealing a solemn looking knight captain Dusk carrying a bloody dog. Before Arcade could question the meaning of it Jack swiftly ran up to them.
"What… what happened?" he asked tearfully while Dusk passed the motionless dog to its owner.
"A few of mercenaries decided to make a run for it rather then stay and fight, we heard sounds of gunfire and went to investigate. They were attacking a Caravan… probably for food when they made a run for it." Dusk looked down and took a deep breath to regain his composure. "He jumped in and saved them, took out all of them by himself"
"What was he doing out here?" Arcade asked, by now the rest of the remnant had rejoined him.
"He must have followed me." Jack wept holding him close. "He doesn't that sometimes always had my back he was my dearest and most loyal friend." Dogmeat weakly lifted his head to lick his owners face. It was obvious to Arcade from the dogs injuries he wouldn't make it Sarah came up put a supportive hand on his shoulder. "I'll see that he is written about in the codex"
"Not to spoil this touching farewell" All eyes turned to Dr. Henry. "But we may yet save him."
Within ten minutes they were touching down at the Citadel. Henry had been giving instructions over the radio the whole time as to what kind of tools and equipment they'd need. Except for Henry and Arcade the rest of the remnant stayed behind.
Upon arrival they were greeted by several Initiates two holding a ready stretcher another a medical ventilator. Rothchild was with them as well.
"I've prepared the medical facility we can begin immediately." The elder scribe explained. Several initiates arrived to help Arcade and Henry quickly strip out of their power armor while they walked. Jack was doing all he could to maintain his composure. He watched as Arcade, Henry and Rothchild rushed his dear friend into the medical bay. All he could do now is wait.
"Gentlemen." Henry began. "We can rebuild him, we have the technology, we can make him better then he was, better… stronger, faster."
"Did you say that before every cyberdog conversion?" Arcade quipped. For this operation Arcade was little more then a nurse. He knew almost nothing about
Cyber-genetics.
"Your petty good at this Rothchild, any previous experience?" Henry complemented.
"I've installed implants on several members of the brotherhood, including extensive work on Jack Romulad." The elder scribe said plainly.
"Jack's a cyborg?" Arcade questioned.
"Well after the radiation exposure he suffered at the purifier he required far more then radaway, then there was the time he..."
The hours ticked by and Jack waited. But then finally the doctors emerged.
"Well." Dr. Henry looked stoic. "It will be a few more days before we can completely finish the body work but his life support systems are stable he'll probably outlive us all."
Jack leapt forward and hugged doctor Henry. Much to the old man's discomforted.
"You saved my dogmeat, thank you" he choked out.
"His name is dogmeat?" Arcade questioned.
"Don't ask." Rothchild sighed.
"Yeah, your welcome." Henry wanting this awkward moment to end pointed out Arcade's contribution. The old scientist breathed a sigh of relief when Jack moved on.
Arcade was used to dealing with the grateful families of patients. It wasn't the first time he was hugged for aiding in saving someone's life. It was the first time he was hugged for saving a dog though.
"He'll be unconscious until the remaining parts can be fabricated and installed but you can see him now." Rothchild informed him. Without a word Jack rushed in to see his beloved pet. The moment he opened the door he was tackled to the ground by the now cybernetic canine.
"I thought you said you'd need time to fabricate parts?" Jack laughed as Dogmeat licked his face was licked all over.
"We lied" Henry smirked. "We thought it be funnier this way."
"When we arrived here in DC." The elder scribe explained. "The pentagon had numerous robotic defenders including a few robodogs. So we had all the necessary parts on hand. Dr. Henry provided the expertise."
"Thank you again truly" Jack said as he pushed his dog off and got to his feet. "You saved a member of my family, I'd like to meet the rest come to my house for dinner."
Henry and Arcade looked to one another and nodded. "It would be a pleasure."
"What's for dinner then?" Arcade asked as they exited to the Bailey.
"Punga Fruit stew or whatever we happen to kill on the way back" Jack answered. Arcade laughed in response. "And just what makes you think I'm kidding?"
