"Reporting for duty sir!" I said curtly, standing at attention. I was in a room alone with the handsome Elder I served under. I hoped I looked presentable enough with my dark brown hair set in a bun and wearing my standard issue Brotherhood uniform. At 27, I was only two years younger than him, and needless to say he made me a little nervous.

Elder Juarez chuckled.

"Come now, there is no need for such formalities with me, Paladin Vaughn. Corvo gives me all of the formalities I can take so please, feel free to make your self comfortable." He said in his smooth, rich voice. I fought the color off my cheeks as who I considered to be the greatest Elder of the Brotherhood of Steel sat across from me in the debriefing room. It wasn't unusual for Juarez to busy himself with things like this, but the personal briefing honored me all the same.

"Very well sir, err, Elder Juarez." The Elder raised his hand with an amused smile on his handsomely defined face.

"Please, just Juarez. And thank you for being so willing to oversee this operation. Recent events have made it clear that a supervisor will need to be sent along with the Demigods to ensure they don't stray from the mission or try to kill each other."

"You're referring to the incident with Edward Harris sir?"

"Yes, I am. I'm surprised that you know about it already."

"Um, everyone knows, sir. I doubt it must be said, but we all feel pride to be part of the Brotherhood, and we're even more proud to be under your command, Elder Juarez. You're passion in defending our honor fills us all with pride, and I speak for everyone when I say we couldn't wish for a better Elder."

Juarez actually blushed a little as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Heh, well this is embarrassing. I will admit: I felt a little ashamed of my lost temper with Harris, but thank you. That makes me feel much better, and for the record I am equally as proud to have people like you under my command," He smiled at me. This time it was me who blushed. I straightened and tried to fight the blood rushing to my cheeks.

"Um, you had orders for me sir?" I asked, desperate to change to the subject.

"Ah, yes!" He said, snapping his fingers.

"I need you to travel with Project Demigod and serve as a supervisor for the Brotherhood."

My confusion must have shown, as he smiled before calmly explaining why I would accompany on a mission meant to determine our use of resources WITHOUT Brotherhood intervention.

"There were several ideas as to how we would maintain control over their actions: mind control, threat of implanted explosives, monetary or objective rewards, etc. I was leaning toward the reward option, but after meeting Harris I feel that a promise of a reward from an organization they don't trust wouldn't compel them as much as I had thought. So, I will be sending along a single advisor to aid them in their mission and keep them focused on the task at hand. This is extremely important Vaughn; their mission is dangerous and will most likely end with some or most of them dead. This risk applies to you as well."

I nodded, I knew the risks.

"That being said," he continued.

"We will be fitting you with an experimental set of T-60 power armor. It has the typical built-in hydraulics and upgraded armor. The helmet has options for night vision, infrared, and target tracking. A work bench and all of the mods in the armory will be available to you."

"The purpose of this mission is to test the effectiveness of utilizing outside resources for Brotherhood operations, with as little Brotherhood interference as possible. For this first mission however, it was deemed necessary and proper to send a supervisor, you, to ensure the mission continues and everyone stays together. We will also outfit you with a Pip-Boy 3000 taken from a Knight who has been declared MIA in the Capital Wasteland. The Pip-Boy will link you to the Demigods so you can track them and monitor their status. The implants allowing this have been implanted in them without their knowing and in different locations for each. All of their possessions will be returned to them upon departure. You will leave with them as soon as the rest of the team is assembled and briefed."

"Yes, sir!" I saluted and turned to exit the room. But then a thought struck me and I hesitantly turned back to the Elder.

"Um, sir?"

He looked back at me and smiled warmly.

"Yes?"

"Uh, I have a question, if that's alright."

"Of course Vaughn, ask away!"

"Sir, why me? I mean, why choose me for this assignment?"

He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes with his head tilted towards the ceiling, that same warm smile still on his face.

"Because Vaughn," he opened his eyes and looked over to me.

"You're my best soldier. I've seen your combat scores and I have heard all about you from our brothers and sisters. You're faith and belief in what we are doing is absolute. You know what we must do to keep the New World safe from the Old World's technology, but you also know that we must also not waste it; that what our ancestors left behind is not a curse of humanity, but a glimpse at what we can become as a species. I'm sending you, Vaughn, because I can trust that you will see this mission through to the end, and I can trust that you won't fail me or our brothers and sisters. I'm relying on you Julia, don't let me down."

I swelled with pride and saluted again before thanking him and curtly marching out of the room. After the debriefing I headed straight for the armory to inspect my gear and put in the necessary requisition orders. I was going to have to do inventory before I could rest, or my mind would keep pulling me back to do more preparing.

'This is going to be a long mission,' I thought.

'I hope everything goes according to plan, but if the other members of the team aren't ready soon, who knows how far back the project will be pushed. I should probably go see them soon: I've already become good friends with Rusty, and Justin Opatona has been flirting with me for awhile, so I guess I know them well enough. I don't think talking with Harris will do any good and the rest are unknowns. I'll go see them later, after requisitions are over.'

I entered the armory and found Knights, Paladins, and even a few Squires walking about, tending to miscellaneous tasks and chores. I made my way over to my station and found a new suit of power armor sitting in it.

I grabbed a pair of welding goggles and put them on over my blue-green eyes, beginning my own modifications to the power armor. After that, I would check on my supplies and see what I used up and needed replaced. I figured I would be here well into the night so I would have to talk to the Proctor to get clearance to work late-night. If I was right about it being a long mission, I would need the best equipment in the best possible shape.

And later that night, I was given a Pip-Boy 3000 that had belonged to the hero of the Capital Wasteland, who had disappeared shortly after their final service to the Brotherhood.

Ashley

The table was quiet.

No one seemed to want to break the uncomfortable silence that stretched throughout the dining room after Nine recounted the events leading up to this moment. It was a dimly lit room with redwood furnished walls and floors. The ceiling was a beige color and supported an electric chandelier. The large rectangular windows had their curtains drawn, lessening the available amount of light.

We were sitting at a circular oak table with One and Three sitting next to each other, Two, who showed up not long after One and Three, sat on the other side of Three, and there was a chair of space between them and Four, Seven, Eight, Nine, and I.

Nine coughed and prepared to speak. Three held up a hand to stop him.

"I reckon we all know what needs be talkin' bout, Nine," Three said.

"So how bout you tell us who these girls are and why you brought em with you to our home." Three said, his voice slipping in and out of a Western accent. My eyes flicked back and forth between them nervously, I didn't even think about Nine getting in trouble with his own family for helping us. Nine took a breath and prepared himself.

"I don't know."

His answer caught all of us off guard. Three and One shared glances and Two leaned back in his chair with a sigh.

"What do you mean, 'you don't know'?" One asked.

"I mean, that I don't know why. It all happened so fast: the attack by the Freak, the Cerberus dogs, and then the super mutant attack and Sadie's injury. With so little time in between each one to stop and think I never got a chance to think about 'why'."

One and Three were silent for a time. Then a deep and gravelly Russian voice spoke up.

"It seems to me that 'why' isn't the real question here; the real question is, 'what now'?"

I looked at Two, actually inspecting him for the first time.

Two seemed to be in his early twenties like Nine, with tanned skin and buzzed brown hair. There was a small scar on the left side of his forehead that moved up into his hairline and another coming from the left side of his bottom lip. There was a small chunk of his right ear that looked like it had been bitten off, making his ear look slightly pointed. His eyes were a deep ocean green interlaced with blue. He wore dark blue rimmed rectangular glasses, a dark teal shirt, and light blue jeans with brown boots. He had a silver earring on his left ear that vaguely resembled a tooth. His arms were very muscular and were covered in engine grease and burn marks. His hands were covered in brown fingerless gloves with medical tape wrapped sporadically over the length of his arms to cover the burns. His voice was deep, gravely, and oddly sexy. He had that kind of air about him that spoke of a deep intelligence that was only matched by his maturity. His accent and sharp facial features obviously identified him as a Russian, but what was a Red doing here?

He readjusted his glasses and interlaced his fingers, resting his elbows on the table before him.

"Why they are here is irrelevant at this point. They are here, and they are consuming supplies. Given the unspoken moral code of our…little family, we won't turn them away unless they are going to make trouble for us. Given the medical state of the younger and the passivity of the older, it is unlikely that either of them will bring us any harm directly. Though the biggest concern with hosting them is undoubtedly the trouble we could expect if those who are chasing them track them here. So, this brings us to another question to consider: What are we going to do about their pursuers?"

He looked to Three and One.

"Your thoughts?"

They thought for a moment before One responded for them both.

"We'll think about it."

"Then think quickly, if these Brotherhood people have advanced technology then who knows how far behind us they could be." He looked at me and seemed to study me for a moment. I squirmed in my seat uneasily under his intense green/blue gaze. He seemed to have come to a decision on something and looked away towards One and Three again, raising a hand to readjust his glasses.

"Okay, now that that matter is settled, I believe it is time for us to decide what to do with them. There are numerous unused rooms available upstairs with adequate furnishings. The young one is still growing, and will most likely consume as much food and drink as Four, but less than Seven. The older is thin, but obviously well-built,"

'What does he mean by that?' I thought a little self-consciously.

"If my predictions are accurate, and they usually are, then she will consume food and drink around the level that Eight does; which is to say, no more than she needs to stay healthy and alive. We've packed a good stock in our inventory but we will have to make an extra trip or two for more supplies. Our food supplies as of current cannot support the added baggage for more than a week,"

I cringed inwardly at being called 'added baggage.' I couldn't get a solid read from this guy!

"There are enough weapons in our armory to arm them if conflict should arise or if they become permanent tenants, and we can always send someone out to Kilovale for extra supplies if we need to. In all, I'd say we are adequately prepared to host two extra guests."

There was more silence from Three and One.

"So," Nine began, looking at me with his deep blue eyes.

"Once Sadie is healed, what are you're plans?" He asked. I felt everyone's eyes on me and I shifted uncomfortably.

"Uh…I…I don't know. Our original plan was just to keep heading west, towards California."

"California? Why the hell would you want to go to the NCR? There's nothing over there but soft booze and even softer people. Not to mention all their damn taxes!" Seven said.

"Um, there are some people there who can help us: our parents. The people who sent the Metal Man and the Cerberuses after us, the Brotherhood of Steel? They won't stop chasing us until we reach the NCR; maybe not even then. The NCR would at least make them stop and think before sending in anyone to take us directly so, it would at least buy us time to disappear with our parents."

Nine had his chin between his forefinger and thumb in thought.

"The Brotherhood of Steel…hm. I think I ran into them once on a job. They were in a vertibird with laser rifles and power armor, and they were completely annihilating a ghoul settlement I had recently sheltered in. After I killed them I sold their armor and frames for some great caps to the locals, but I just figured they were some gang that got their hands on some pre-war military equipment. You're telling me they're an actual organization?"

I nodded solemnly.

"Quite frankly, you described them pretty well. Only, they're much bigger than just some gang. They don't have the numbers of the NCR, but they do have more technology than any other group in the wasteland. Their purpose is to save humanity by reclaiming all forms of advanced technology from before the war so we don't kill ourselves with it. Uh, again. They have outposts and Chapters all over the wastelands of America. Maybe even farther out of the nation. I'm surprised you managed to kill some of them, they're skilled fighters."

Nine shrugged.

"Tear them out of their suits and they die same as any other wastelander."

"You tore them out of their power armor? Wow, wish I could've joined in. That sounds like fun!" Seven said with a smile.

"Ha! Yeah, it wasn't." Nine replied, wringing his hands and popping his knuckles and neck as if remembering old wounds.

"So, Ashley, you and your sister thinkin' of stayin' for long?" Three asked.

I shrugged, I honestly had no idea how long we would have to stay; it all depended on Sadie's recovery and I told the one-eyed cowboy as much. Three nodded slowly.

"We can host ya, no problem. Just be sure tha' you don't bring no trouble to our door-step and we'll all get along jus' fine."

I nodded and didn't say a word. I didn't know what I could say. There are only so many times you can say thank you until the words lose their meaning. So, that meant I had only one option left.

"Well, I reckon that's enough of that. If y'all are as hungry as me then feel free to help yourselves." Three said, gesturing to a row of covered dishes on a trolley next to the table. Everyone got up to grab a plate and some home cooked food. When we all sat back down people started conversing amongst each other.

I remained silent and jabbed a fork into the well prepared steak in front of me before I overheard a piece of a conversation between Three and Two that caught my attention.

"Two, any word on Five?" Three asked.

"He radioed in about fifteen minutes ago. He's been caught up in Tykon. Apparently, a coup d'etat is taking place and the people are revolting. A rioter damaged his bike, so he will have to make some rudimentary repairs before he can make it back."

Three sighed.

"He better hurry his ass then. Getting caught up in a coup like that will only bring us trouble. Trouble I'd be well off not havin' to deal with. By the way, think you can repair the truck before our next mission?"

"Sure thing Three, I'll get to it once I'm done here. What about you and One, huh? Any problems with the Sporter?"

At that question Three smiled.

"Nope. Ain't had a single problem with the old girl whole ride there and back! Runs smooth as the road permits it to! Heh, I'm thinkin' of takin' One back out for another spin later this week. Benefits of a dual purpose nuclear/solar powered car I guess: we can take as many rides as we want."

There was another mystery for me to think on. How did they get the truck, a motorcycle, and apparently another vehicle called a "Sporter" to function again? There are very few land vehicles in operation after the bombs fell. Most tires get ripped to shreds on the cracked and broken roads.

A series of laughter to my right caught my attention and I saw Seven making weird faces and sounds much to Four's delight, who was laughing like a little girl.

Well, an even younger girl. Eight ate diligently while listening to Nine talk. I remembered something Eight had said back in the truck about Nine and his vulnerability to radiation, hence the mask and the yellow Geiger counter that he now had stashed in his room.

'How can Nine eat anything? Most food in the wasteland is irradiated.' I thought.

"Hey Nine?" I asked him when there was a break in their conversation.

"Yeah?"

"Isn't this food irradiated? You'll need some kind of filter or something right?"

He nodded.

"Of course. There's one in the kitchen. All of our food and drink goes through it until they are free of all rads before being prepped. We got lucky, I found it in the same lab where I found my Geiger counter and respirator, though Eleven has made some upgrades to them both. Took some real effort getting it back here though, thing's big and heavy."

I looked at the well-cooked steak in front of me and studied it quizzically.

The green discoloration that was common on many brahmin steaks was gone and it certainly looked like the healthiest steak I had come across in all my time in the Wasteland.

"It's safe." Nine said with an amused smile.

I poked it hesitantly before cutting off a piece. The moment it touched my tongue I was assaulted by a variety of flavors. It was juicy, hot, and not tough or stringy like most others! It seemed to almost melt in my mouth! It was the most delicious thing I'd ever tasted! I ripped back into the steak with a hunger I didn't even know I had and it was gone in minutes. I leaned back with a contented sigh and heard muffled chuckling next to me.

I opened one eye and looked at Nine, whose lips were pursed to try to conceal his laughter. I blushed and wiped my mouth with the napkin, keeping my eyes on my empty plate.

"S-shut up." I said. He lost control and started laughing. My blush deepened in embarrassment and I lowered my head, a small grin spreading on my face.

'Damn it! His laugh is infectious!' I thought as I started laughing with him. Still giggling, I looked around the room; everyone was socializing and laughing. They were just having a good time.

It was the first time I'd ever seen, or felt, that kind of happiness.

I carried two covered plates of food down the hallway towards Eleven's med-lab, the sounds of Nine and the others in the dining room echoing faintly down the hallways.

I knocked on the door and waited with a small smile on my face. In a moment, Eleven opened the door and welcomed me in.

"Ah, Ashley. It iz very good to be seeings you again. You vill be happy to know zat, vith some more rest, your sister vill be up and moving again, in no times!" He looked at the trays I was holding and I imagined he smiled.

"You may eat inz here vith her if you wish. Her stomach has not been fully healed's yet, so I must ask that you not be feedings her anyzing quite yet. Or zere could be some serious troubles vithin her."

I nodded and held out a plate for him. He looked at it then back at me, his mask hiding any hints of emotion. I shifted uncomfortably.

"It's, uh, it's for you." I said nervously. Not being able to see his eyes made his staring all the more uncomfortable. He seemed to realize this and became animate again.

"Ah! Thank you very much for zat. I vill leave you to haves some privacy vith her for avile."

"Thank you Eleven." I said appreciatively. He gave a slight bow of his head before leaving the room with his plate, gently closing the door behind him.

I looked over to Sadie's bed and saw she was sleeping soundly. I looked at the plate I brought for her and decided it would just be cruel to eat this in front of her when it was meant for her in the first place. Besides, I had already eaten.

I set the plate down in the hallway outside with the cover still over it and returned into the med-lab. I closed the door and felt a gaze on me. When I turned it was Sadie, awake, and lying on the patient bed in the corner with several blankets thrown over her. She smiled and waved me over.

"Hey Ash!"

"Hey Sadie," I smiled as I sat on the edge of the bed.

"Do you know where we are?" I asked her gingerly. She nodded.

"Yeah, Eleven spent all of my waking hours filling me in on what kind of resort this place was, what it is now, and their plans for what it will be. He can drone on if you get him stuck on a subject of interest to him. He tends to ramble and talks real quiet, and he's always tapping lightly on everything." She must have seen my face because she hastily continued.

"Not that it's a bad thing! It's actually quite calming. He's very nice, but maybe a tad eccentric. How is everyone else? Nine? Eight? Seven? Four? You?" She asked. I leaned back on my hands and looked at the ceiling, letting my braid fall off my shoulder.

"It seems like everyone is doing fine. There isn't much going on right now. I just finished with a meeting between some of the others in their group. I met One, Two, and Three. Like the others, they're…very unique."

"How so?"

"Well, One seems like a pretty quiet person. She has this mask on her face so I can't tell what she really looks like. With the cloak it makes her look very mysterious. Heh, with the white hair she looks like she could be Nine's mom! Or, maybe older sister. I can't tell her age really."

"Three seems to be very close to One, and she to him. They always share these looks, like they've spent so much time together that they don't need words to communicate what they're thinking."

Sadie relaxed further into her pillows while I talked.

"What's he like?"

"Three? Hm, he's like a cowboy, with that mild southern accent and all. He doesn't seem like a bad guy, none of them do. He just puts the needs of his people before anything and anyone else; he doesn't like 'trouble.' If we were to threaten the safety of any of his people in any way, I have little doubt he wouldn't kill us on the spot. The eye patch and graying hair makes him look pretty menacing, but he has sharp and handsome features to balance it out."

"He has an eye patch?" Sadie asked. I nodded in confirmation and she frowned in concentration.

"That's odd…"

"Why?"

"Eleven also told me a few of the others' splices, and given Three's that's pretty surprising."

I was about to ask what Eleven told her when she shook her head and spoke again.

"What's Two like?"

I put my question on hold to answer hers, gently picking up my braid and playing with the end.

"Two is a Russian. Uh, I think. He's very smart and pretty cute too. He's about Nine's age but doesn't seem to be the fighter that Nine is. He seems to be more on the intellectual side, taking stock of a given situation and forming plans and contingency plans for every occasion. His glasses are surprisingly well kept, I didn't see any scratches on them at all so he must be pretty meticulous and neat too."

"Oooo he sounds interesting! But they were all you've met so far? No one else?"

"No one we haven't met already no. I overheard Two and Three talking about Five, and how he got stuck in some rebelling town."

"Oh."

"Yeah. So, what did Eleven tell you?" She shrugged and stared vacantly at the blanket.

"Not much. All he told me was what One, Three, and Five were spliced with. Five was apparently spliced with a dog and Three was spliced with a falcon and an eagle. He told me Three had tremendous eyesight, so it surprised me to hear he had only one eye."

"Oh, that is kind of weird. What about One?"

"One what?"

"No, I mean One. The woman, not the number. Or, both...I don't know it gets confusing sometimes. What was she spliced with?"

"I would never have guessed it by your description of her, but One was spliced with a Centaur and treated with radiation therapy to deal with the subsequent tumors and growths." Sadie shivered.

"I still see those things in my sleep. They scare me more than anything else out here." She said. I nodded.

"Yeah, they're creepy as hell. But One didn't strike me as creepy, and you're right; I would never have guessed she had been crossed with one of those things."

Sadie thought for a moment when suddenly she thought of something.

"Oh! Did you learn anything new about Nine?" She asked excitedly.

"What? Nine? Not really, why?"

"Oh, no reason. Just wondering." She said with slight coloration on her cheeks. I smiled cheekily.

"Oh no. Oh don't tell me my little sis has the hots for the white-haired mercenary with the metal voice!" I teased. She tried to punch my arm but I scooted further down the bed.

"Shut up! I do not!"

"Nine and Sadie sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-geeow!" I exclaimed.

"Don't kick me!"

"Then don't tease me!"

"You're no fun like this!"

"Because you're not funny!"

We kept it up for good long while. For the first time in what seemed like forever, we could relax without having to look over our shoulders.

I only hoped it would last.

A/N

So a few quick notes:

As of right now I've made adjustments to all previous chapters and added/removed/improved dialogue, action, and detail. Check it out if something doesn't add up with how you remember.

And I also need OCs! If you got one PLEASE put them in the reviews! Having all OC submissions in the reviews helps me keep track of em all without bringing up multiple pages of my PM inbox XD

My story is DEPENDENT on outside OCs as part of a personal experiment of mine, to see what a story would be like if two teams were incorporated into it: a team of OCs by the author, and a team of OCs by the readers. I love seeing your ideas and love to incorporate those ideas into my stories even more! You can post an OC in the reviews and then we can talk about it through PM if you want, but please go through the reviews first, again, it helps me keep em organized.

So if you like this story and want to see more of it faster, then throw up some OCs! Make em detailed, make em vague. Whatever you want!

That's about it so I'll see you next time and remember:

The pace of chapter uploads depends on me getting an OC from YOU