Knight in Power Armor
Chapter 14: Complications
A/N: Right then, the showdown you've all been waiting for.
tedsini: Thanks for the advice and compliments.
cally777: As useful as drugs may be in the game, it's no longer a game for Knight. It's real life. Not so easy to kick an addiction.
I also made some changes to the ending of this chapter. I really didn't like how I did it after thinking about it for a while.
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So far things had gone as well as could be hoped for. James, Li, Kess, and the others had been working on restoring Purity while I kept guard. Most of the others were curious as to what I was guarding from. I blew their questions aside with a 'better safe than sorry' approach. A few of them were more suspicious than curious, but who can blame them, I'm an unknown entity. Robby hooked up my Pip-Boy to the intercom so I could be kept in the loop, and warn the team when the Enclave showed up. All in all, everything was going as planned, which usually meant that something was about to go wrong.
"Hey Knight? Could you give me a hand over here?" Kess? From outside? It sounded like she was just around the corner, but what was she doing there?
"Sure. On my way." As I came up to the corner, I voiced my question. "What exactly are you doing over…?" And she was nowhere to be found.
"I'm over here." Now she was just behind the other corner.
"Kess? What's going on? This isn't the time to be…" Not here either. "Kess?"
"She won't be joining us, I'm afraid." Not Kess. I turned, shield raised, laser at the ready, and I didn't like what I saw. She was in what looked like a modified Chinese stealth suit. Black colored, with the bright orange visor a dull grey, and cut down to just in front of the eyes. Above the visor was a metal head band with a symbol that looked familiar, but I couldn't place it. On her back was a katana, a fine weapon, but not one that I remembered being in Fallout 3.
"Who are you, and what do you want?" I asked, force in my voice. Not anger, but close.
"I am the Shinobi, just as you are the knight. You will not interfere with the Enclave forces." Cold, calculating, leaving no room for arguments, and a hint of an oriental accent.
"So Eden has himself a new stooge." I said, drawing my sword. "You're not getting Purity." No room for argument there either.
"Eden can't even command the loyalty his own men. He'll never have mine." She made no move to draw her own sword. "As to who gets Purity, that will not be decided by you. You are playing with forces beyond your control."
"I've beaten the odds before. This'll be no different."
"That, is where you are wrong." She reached for her sword as she mocked me. I took the opportunity to charge at her while she was doing so. That's when the impossible happened. She jumped straight over me, landed behind me, and clocked me in the forehead with the pommel* of her sword when I turned around. The force of her blow, combined with my surprise, sent me to the ground. No damage, beyond my pride, but before I could get up or roll out of the way, the 'shinobi' had her foot planted on my chest and sword at my throat. Crap. Not really able to do anything without getting skewered, I waited for her to make the next move. She must've wanted me alive, she had enough chances to kill me, but didn't.
"So, now what?" Cut me some slack, I had a blade on my neck.
"Now, you stay where you are. Once the Enclave is finished, you may go."
"Just like that?" Come on Knight, think.
"You are not the objective. Project Purity is." I heard Vertabirds landing in the background. I had to finish this and warn the others!
"Uh, huh. And the reason I'm still alive?"
"Is not a concern of yours."
"Considering it's my life, I'd say it is." That's it Knight, piss of the psycho with a sword. Brilliant plan.
"Your role in His plan will be made clear soon enough." His?
"And just who is 'He?'"
"None of your concern!" And now she's mad. Risking that her anger distracted her enough, I turned as fast as I could, pushing her sword out of the way with my shield. I then rolled out of the way and stood up facing her with in a ready stance. When you consider that that actually worked, I must've gotten to her worse than she would've liked. She caught on quick enough, though, facing me in her own ready stance.
"You had the element of surprise last time. You won't be so lucky now." I said, trying to work out a way to beat her.
"Only a fool relies on luck. And I am no fool."
"Could've fooled me." I guess that taunt worked, 'cause she charged me. I kneeled at the last moment and used my shield to push her over me, then pressed my advantage and pinned her against the wall of the memorial, my sword on her throat.
"Drop the blade." I commanded. Surprisingly, she did as I said. I kicked the sword away from us.
"What will you do now?" She asked. Like she was expecting her death, and was unafraid.
"That's for me to know," I hit her temple with my own pommel, knocking her out.** "And you to wake up to." Somehow, I knew I was going to regret letting her live, but right then, I had bigger fish to fry.
I ran as fast as I could back to the entrance. When I turned the last corner, I saw two Enclave soldiers and one officer guarding the entrance. I rammed the first soldier before they were able to bring weapons to bear, sliding my sword into his left shoulder joint. Tossing him aside, I raised my shield to meet the laser blasts from the other soldier while I skewered the officer. Said officer hit me a few times, but didn't do anything thanks to my armor. I'll say this about the council, they make stuff to last. The last soldier, seeing the futility of shooting me, charged me with his shoulder. Without time to react, and knowing he couldn't do any damage any way, I took the hit, and then relieved his neck of his head with my sword. I headed into Purity to see if I was in time to save James. I prayed to God that I was. On the way, Robby gave me an update.
"Sir, Kess has dealt with the few unsavory types down below. She should be with us shortly. All remaining brutes are in the main chamber of the Purifier, along with Dr. Mason and one of the assistants Dr. Li brought with her." Fuck, fuck, FUCK. I quickened my pace to reach the rotunda. Made it there just in time to see the colonel shoot the assistant. Kess and Li were already there. I sheathed my sword and hit the glass with all of my powered might. Only managed to crack it, but still.
"Hey, Bimbo!" I yelled, getting the attention of the colonel. Before he or I could say anything else, though, James did the one thing I had prayed he wouldn't. He irradiated the purifier, killing everyone in it.
"DAD!" Kess yelled. I knew he was dead, or soon would be. Damn it! I wasn't fast enough!
"Run. Run!" James said with his dying breath. I had to drag Kess away from the glass, can't say that I blame her. Once we were back in the main building, I turned to Li.
"Get everyone into the escape tunnel, well meet you there."
"How do you…" Li began, before I cut her off.
"There's no time to explain! I'll tell you later, just go!" The Enclave were sure to have more troops on the way, especially if things here have changed for their advantage. As Li left, I turned to check on Kess, she wasn't looking very good. Arms crossed over her chest, leaning back and forth.
"Kess…" I began.
"You said you'd change this. You said you'd save him." Kess interrupted, quietly.
"I know. I did everything I could, and I still failed." I let out a short laugh. "You know, back home I always said everything happens for a reason, yet I'm arrogant enough to try and change them. Shows you what I know."
"Where were you?" She asked, looking at me, showing me the tears in her eyes.
"Someone that shouldn't be here held me up. I got here as fast as I could. I wasn't fast enough, I'm sorry. Kess, I know you're still hurting, but we need to get everyone else to safety, or your fathers dream might die with him."
"You're right, I'm O.K. I can hold it together." She took a deep breath and dried her eyes. "Right, let's go."
When we got into the tunnels, Kess stepped up as a leader.
"Knight, take point and pass out fire arms to the others as you come across them." Li wasn't thrilled with that idea.
"You expect us to fight? We're scientists, not soldiers." Li said.
"I know that." Kess responded, before I could. "But if anyone gets past Knight, or hits us from a side passage, I don't want you defenseless. Knight and I will deal with as many as possible, but neither of us are perfect."
"Just stay calm, stay together, and let us do the heavy lifting and you should be fine." I added. The trip through the tunnel was straight forward enough. The team didn't have to use any of the weapons I handed them, but most seemed more confident once they had them, and Li got the stim packs she needed, I had plenty to spare, unbreakable armor and all. When we got to the Citadel, Li did her thing at the intercom and got us in. That's when things got weird again. Elder Lyons walked right up to me, not Kess, after Li was finished talking to him. I thought he was going to ask about my armor, I was afraid he might want to take it. What he did say scared me even more.
"You are the one called Knight, correct?" Wait, what?
"Yes." I said, carefully. "How do you know me?"
"You may be their champion, but you're hardily the only person the Council of Five has sent to this world." Wait, what!
"You know about the Council of Five?" I asked.
"Yes. They have been quite helpful with dealing with the super mutant threat." He said. "You are welcome here for as long as you like, but I may have a favor to ask of you at a later time." Well, that didn't sound ominous at all.
"Just so you know, that council might call me their champion, but I have no loyalty to them outside of seeming to want the same thing they do."
"Quite understandable, considering what they did to you." Wait, WHAT!
"How do you…" I began.
"The rest of your questions will have to wait until later, I'm afraid. I have many things to attend to now that you are here."
And with that, we were all rushed off to a set of sleeping quarters that seemed to have been conveniently ready for us. Kess said she wanted to be left alone when I tried to talk to her, so I just laid down on a cot, and tried to get some sleep. With all the curve balls thrown at me today, however, that was easier said than done.
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It was dark when the Shinobi regained consciousness. After speaking with the Enclave captain, highest surviving officer, ensuring that the purifier was secure, she left the memorial, heading to her next assignment.
"The purifier is yours, my Lord."
"You let him get the better of you, shinobi." He knows. He always knows.
"Yes, my Lord. I let him. It will lull him into a false sense of confidence the next time we fight. It will be to my advantage when you want the knight removed from the playing field."
"Plot and scheme all you want, but remember my policy on failure." Death.
"By your command, my Lord."
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A/N: Well that sucks.
* The bottom of a sword. Very hard.
** The Shinobi has light armor, and Knight has reinforced strength, not a difficult stretch.
Just a FYI for anyone who might get confused.