Eagle's Point

Gabriel inhaled deeply, breathing in and out. He dropped the .44 magnum revolver he was holding on a picnic table. Eagle's Point must've been some kind of picnicking spot before the war. Gabriel had cleared it out and established a temporary shelter here as a fallback point. There was a tiny shack at the back. It had a bed, a table, and two lockers. In one locker he had a sniper rifle, a 10mm pistol and an assault rifle. At the bottom were cases upon cases of ammo. In the other locker was a suit of reinforced combat armor. On his table sat a box of Stimpaks, Rad-Aways and a wide variety of chems. Gabriel hated chems, but he couldn't deny the edge they gave him in battle. He reached into the box and grabbed a stimpak. He injected it quickly into his left arm. He looked at it and swore under his breath.

His left forearm was completely gone. The Sentinel had shot it off when he fled Betty's Diner. His rage towards the Sentinel burned very bright, and he had to remind himself to think rationally about the situation. He went to the locker and pulled out a case of .44 rounds and the set of combat armor.

Gabriel dressed quickly into the combat armor and reloaded his .44 magnum. He didn't have much time. He had to leave quickly. He grabbed a handful of Stimpaks and raced away from Eagle's Point. He had no idea where to go. His mind flashed on hideouts lost and found... and promptly settled on a perfect idea. An idea that could allow him to live comfortably for a long time. He just needed a way in.

Eagle's Point

"Stay behind me, Fawkes," I said. I crept up the pathway to Eagle's Point. When I was at the top, I drew out my favorite 10mm and jumped out into the open. No one was there.
"Did we find the wrong place?"Fawkes asked.
"I'm sure he's here! He has to be!" I yelled. I saw a shack at the back of the flat cliff. I kicked down the door and waved my gun around. Nothing was there. I surveyed the area and found a bed, two lockers, and a desk with a box of chems and medical agents. A discarded terminal sat in the corner, a bullet hole through it. Gabriel had escaped.

Evergreen Mills

Gabriel walked past a group of drunk Raiders. He had had to learn to deal with their antics. They were barely organized and drunk as skunks most days. They did have a really great trader deep in the bowels of the Mills called Smiling Jack. These past few years, some Raiders hadn't taken kindly to his prices and Jack now sported a few scars across his cheek. Gabriel walked up to the bar where Jack was standing and sat down.

"My my, Gabe," Jack said. "Look who came crawling back. What can I do for you?"

"I have a plan to be safe for a while. A safehouse where no one could get to us. I'd just need a way in." Gabriel's face was intense.

"Where could you possibly hide?" Jack quipped.

"Vault 101," answered Gabriel.

"You're joking," Jack said. "No one goes in! The Vault's been sealed for a long time! I mean, yeah, it had that brief trading period 10 years ago, but that Overseer chick closed it down! And even if you could, there's all of those residents! It'd be full-blown slaughter!"

"I know what I'm asking you to do is crazy, Jack. I know. It's a Vault. All I need are some explosives to break open the door."

"Wouldn't it be easier to tunnel in? Y'know, instead of BUSTING DOWN THE FRONT DOOR?" Jack queried.

"Can you give me the explosives or not?" Gabriel challenged.

"These puppies don't come cheap, you know. C-4. I have a limited supply, but yes, I have them," Jack said.

"Hand 'em over," Gabriel said. He watched as Jack opened a safe in the floor and took out 5 C-4 explosives and a detonator.

"2500," Jack said.

"2000," Gabriel said.

"2250," Jack bargained.

"1750," Gabriel said, his eyes fierce.

"2 grand," Jack finally said.

"Thank you," Gabriel said, shaking Jack's hand and taking the explosives. He threw a case of caps on the desk. "Feel free to count them if you don't believe me!" Gabriel called as he left the Mills. He had no intention of breaking into a Vault yet. He had bought those explosives to serve two purposes. He needed to send a message. He started heading in the direction of Vault 101.

Megaton

"Say it!" Gabriel was yelling.
"N-never!" Harden was yelling.
Gabriel drew his revolver and fired three shots in a triangle around Harden's head.
"J-Jesus..." Harden said. "OK! I'll do it!" He cleared his throat and said aloud, "Sentinel Atwater. I need to see you immediately. The future of Megaton depends on it." "Are you happy?" Harden asked.

"Very," said Gabriel. As he turned to leave, he threw Harden to the ground and fired his two remaining shots into Harden's leg and his arm. Then he left went towards Vault 101.

Megaton

I hurried towards the Megaton gate. The message from Harden sounded urgent. I was about to walk through the gate when a bullet whizzed past my ear. It was Gabriel. Putting Harden from my mind, I raced towards Gabriel. He disappeared through the door. I gave pursuit, Fawkes right beside me. We ran towards the door. Fawkes picked up speed, closing in on the door. He was about to walk through it when a giant fireball burst through the air and a deafening thunderclap staggered me. I heard a scream from Fawkes and his corpse was launched back. I saw him sigh a final sigh, and die. Through a haze of smoke, I saw Gabriel run away from the now destroyed pathway to the Vault. Everything was gone from my mind. My only goal was placing this man's head on a pike. I drew out a .44 magnum revolver. I still felt sick looking at it. It belonged to the man who shot my wife, took my son, stole everything from me. Kellogg. I fired a few shots into the distance. I couldn't run much longer, but I knew Gabriel couldn't either. I began to close in on him. With every step I drew closer. I fired a round at his leg and watched him collapse to the ground. I tackled him.

"Game over," I said. "You lose."

He coughed. "Do you think... this changes anything! Open... your eyes. You've been blind from the start. The Brotherhood is dead. Chasing a set of false ideals, trying desperately to cling to anything that can save them from this harsh reality. Save the Capital Wasteland. Right. Your arrival was the nail in the coffin for this chapter. The stand-in Elder Cross won't be able to protect these people. It's time for a change. The new Brotherhood will rise from the ashes of the old. I would've been its champion, had you not caught me."

"You... had an inside man," I realized.

"Well done. I'd applaud if you weren't crushing my hands right now. I'll admit, you've been a thorn in my side for a while. The idea of founding this new Brotherhood didn't start from me. It came from someone inside who brought the idea to me. He's been a good servant, and he'll be rewarded. I've already given him plenty. By the time you return, he'll have put a bullet in Cross' brain and his troops will have already quelled the rebellion. The Brotherhood has legions of unsettled followers, all looking for a change. Some stayed back, hoping for a change. Others hopped on an airship and left for the Commonwealth."

"There are traitors on the Prydwen? No. No, that can't be!" I said.

"There are more than you know. My associate has had them in his pocket this whole time. Think to the reason you were brought here. And with who? Who gave you your orders? A Paladin. Who'd you come here with? Lizzie, Alex, and Matthew. Alex and Matthew were troublesome lots, but Alex is now dead and Matthew will be soon. Lizzie, though, she was my ultimate pawn."

"Lizzie brought me the holotapes..." I said.

"And he finally realizes it! Everywhere you go, people are waiting for change! And it happens today!" Gabriel was laughing.

"Enough chatter. Who's your inside man?" I demanded.

"I suppose there's no harm in telling you. You would've found out soon enough, anyway."

I raised my gun over Gabriel's head. "Tell me!" I spat.

"Kill me," Gabriel said.

A nearby rumble caused me to stand up and look back. I realized my error right as Gabriel had managed to stand up. I pointed my gun directly at his chest and fired.

Blood started pooling around Gabriel. "I'm surprised you don't know," Gabriel coughed. "Haven't you noticed the clues? The way I sign my letters? The pistol used to kill Alex? G?" Gabriel started a coughing fit and his breathing was labored. "Find Hangman. That's my inside man." He coughed a final spray of blood, and was still. The menace to the Capital Wasteland was dead.

I thought about this final revelation of Gabriel. When the answer hit me, it was simple.

The pistol was an elite officer's pistol. Only the high-ups had it. Gabriel signed his letters with a "G". I assumed this meant "Gabriel", but what if it was someone different. The final clue was Hangman. Hangman was a form of execution. Someone in the Citadel went by "Hangman." This person didn't exactly go by that name, but it was a similar vein. I had to get back to the Citadel. I needed to confront this mastermind, this traitor. I knew exactly who he was.

The traitor was Knight-Captain Gallows.