(WARNING PLEASE READ)
For this chapter...I'm not going to lie, there will be a lot of gruesome scenes described in this chapter. I'll be honest, there was a few times I cried writing this chapter. The reason why is because this goes really in depth about the horrors of war and its aftermath. There will be a few scenes that some of you may not handle well. This is a sad chapter, but by the end of it, the light will begin to shine in the darkness. I will put up warnings for those specific scenes should you want to skip them.
Now for all of you that reviewed. Some of you guys left amazing detailed reviews that left me speechless and I'm absolutely touched by them. Thank you guys.
CaptainFusou: I know and I'm sorry! I didn't take pleasure in killing Amata.
Xypher1: Funny you should mention artillery shell, because I am a field artillery crew member in the Army. Your review was just incredible. To be honest I have no response because that's how amazing it was. A lot of the things you mentioned towards the end of your review are in this story.
Paladin Bailey: It's good to be back brother. Ad Victoriam!
Fallout2281: Yes it was a sad ending. Be prepared for more sadness in this chapter.
FallenAngelAlexander: My friend its good to see you on here again. I'm glad the action didn't disappoint in the last chapter. Rangers always lead the way!
TMDF-Artyom: I appreciate that man. I just couldn't see her alive in the future. And from a 13Bravo, best of luck to you Tanker.
coastierks: Dude don't even get me started. When Amata died in your story I was reduced to tears. And I'm glad you weren't disappointed.
FakeDaVinci: Your review is another one of my favorites. In the sequel there will be scenes about soldiers reacting to Mr House. The answer to your first question, Yes! I actually have ideas written out for soldiers that come across family members related to them. 2nd, yes the Lone Wanderer will inform them of Vault-Tec's true reason for the vaults. 3rd, after 200 years I believe the American military will put aside their anger against the Chinese. Their war has been over, it's time to move on and focus on what lies ahead. Finally for your last question, there wont be raider factions joining together to fight the American government. However, the American government will fan out to crush any raider gangs that threaten innocent wastelanders. Also, there will be a scene in the next chapter that show's America and the Midwestern and Texas Brotherhood joining together to take out the largest slaver threat in post apocalyptic America. We can all take a good guess who that is.
Before I continue I want to shout out to my buddy HippoDeFuego for helping me write what was probably the most difficult scene in this chapter. Onto the story!
Chapter 21: Closing the Wounds
Fort Bannister: June 12, 2279. 3:49 P.M.
Two chinook helicopters landed outside the ruins of Fort Bannister with Major Preston Cooper; commander of Delta Force, with a platoon of his men and a detachment of Marines. He had given his men the order to set up a perimeter and secure Bannister until the rest of main force arrived. The objective was to get the old army base back to operational status. While the Delta operators went to work the Marines started setting up machine gun nests. Major Cooper spotted what looked like the aftermath of a firefight. Several dead soldiers were strewn about across the field and others were lying in a ditch.
Curiosity overcame him. Cooper looked to his radio operator. "Sergeant Baker, on me!"
"Yes sir!" Sergeant Baker said as he followed close with his weapon at the low ready.
Cooper and Baker approached some of the corpses and realized they were Lost Hills soldiers. The two proceeded to the ditch where the other bodies were. Major Cooper immediately recognized a couple of them. They were there with Eric when he had released them from cryo. Plus, it's hard to forget what a super mutant looks like…or what's left of one that is. He knelt down next to Jason, one of Reilly's medics and he put a hand on the man's neck to check for a pulse. When Cooper didn't find one he moved onto the next and did the same thing. One of the soldiers he came across was missing his left leg and the left side of his face was covered in shrapnel.
Major Cooper didn't need any more of indication that the man was dead, but as he was about to step over him, a hand from the soldier shot out and grabbed his leg. This action startled Cooper, who jumped back from the soldier. The soldier was frantically breathing as he looked at the Major with his good eye.
"H-help m-me!" The soldier said through deep raspy breaths.
The Major's eyes widened. The man was alive! By some sort of miracle, the man was alive. He unslung his combat back and pulled his first aid kit out and started applying a tourniquet to the man's severed leg. He looked over his shoulder to Sergeant Baker who had seen the situation unravel. "Sergeant, call for a medevac! Urgent Surgical!" He told the NCO. (Non-Commissioned Officer) Sergeant Baker was frozen where he stood, completely shocked by the injured soldier still being alive. "NOW SERGEANT!" Cooper ordered with more authority.
"Yes sir!" Baker said, immediately grabbing his radio to call for a chopper to evacuate the wounded man.
"Hang on buddy! Help's on the way." Cooper said to the injured man as he started applying a medical wrap to the man's face. He looked over to the rest of his men. "MEDIC! CORPSMAN! SOMEONE GET THE FUCK OVER HERE AND HELP ME OUT!"
A medic came running up to them and started pulling out gauze for the burns on the injured soldier's body. "What's your name?" He asked as a way to keep the man calm and focused on anything but his injuries.
"M-McGraw. 'Cough' Pala-din Mc-Graw." McGraw told the man somewhat tiredly as he tried to calm himself down.
"Alright McGraw, you're doing good. You're going to be alright. Just some scratches here and there, but you're going to be fine." The medic said as he finished treating the man by injecting a stimpak in McGraw's arm. "You understand McGraw? You're going to make it."
McGraw slowly nodded as he laid his head back in the blood covered dirt. The medic gently lifted McGraw's head up and placed his bag underneath to help make him comfortable.
"Major, the medevac is on its way. ETA is five Mikes." Sergeant Baker told the Major.
The Major nodded as he and the medic kept pressure on the bandages on McGraw's face and torso. This man had suffered unbelievable injuries and was still alive. Cooper made it a priority for himself to make sure this man stayed alive.
West of Smith Casey's Garage: June 12, 2279. 3:57 P.M.
Major Edward Clegg, commander of the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, was leading a platoon of men in a wedge formation. They had been searching smaller structures and caves, trying to locate anyone that had survived what is now being called the Capital Siege. Major Clegg and his men continued to scan their surroundings in case any survivors from Lost Hills were lurking. As the Combat Controllers continued their trek east to find more survivors, they came across Smith Casey's Garage. The Major held his fist up to halt the formation and waved one of his men over. He then looked to his left and whistled to get the attention of his men. Using military hand signals, he signed. Five. Rally on me! Five of Clegg's men quickly rallied on his position.
Major Clegg looked to the first soldier he waved over. "Sergeant Mendez take the platoon and continue searching for survivors!" He then looked to the five soldiers. "You boys are with me, we'll check the garage."
"Yes sir!" The men replied.
As Sergeant Mendez took the rest of the platoon to continue searching for survivors, the Major and his team entered the garage. After sweeping through the building, from the office to the garage, one Airman called out. "Clear!"
"Let's keep moving!" The Major ordered. As he was about to step outside the floor made a loud thump. Edward looked down and noticed that it was a metal hatch. He took a step back and saw the button on the wall. "Weapons ready!" The Combat Controllers quickly had their weapons aimed at the hatch, expecting anything to happen.
The Major pushed the button and watched as the hatch opened up. The Combat Controllers quickly made their way down the stairs. When they reached the bottom, they encountered a group of at least thirty wastelanders. All of them had set up a makeshift living area around the entrance to Vault 112. The control panel that opened the vault door was destroyed.
When Major Clegg and his men approached the survivors, they were met with several weapons being raised at them. The Air Force commandos quickly raised their weapons in response.
"Lower your weapons!" Major Clegg ordered his men sternly. The Combat Controllers immediately lowered their weapons and stepped back. Not wanting to start a firefight with innocent people, he unslung his rifle and put it on the ground. Clegg took a step back with his hands raised. "We aren't here to hurt you."
The man who looked to be the leader of the group raised an eyebrow skeptically. "You expect us to believe that? After losing our homes, our friends, you want us to believe that you're not here to kill us?" The man asked raising his voice in anger. He was looking for a reason, anything, to shoot the men standing in front of him.
Major Clegg could tell just how scared these people were. No doubt these people have gone through hell since Lost Hills had shown up. These people weren't combatants. They were just terrified people who were trying to survive. Major Clegg felt his anger build up inside. None of them deserved any of this. He was going to assure these people that they only wanted to help.
He glanced around the room they were in and spotted several empty food cans, giving him a clear indication that they were hungry. Without thinking, Edward moved to unsling his combat pack, making the other survivors raise their weapons at him. "I'm just going to get something out of my pack. Ok? That's all I'm going to do." He said as he knelt down to unzip the bag. He reached inside and pulled out an MRE (Meal Ready to Eat).
It was then the other combat controllers realized what the Major was doing and immediately pulled MREs out of their own bags.
"What is that?" The group leader demanded as Major Clegg took a step forward to offer him the military meal.
"It's food." The Major replied calmly. "Please. Take it!" He offered. The man looked at the bag of food with doubtful eyes. He was about to refuse until he felt his stomach growl. The man sighed, unsure of what to do. They had run out of food a couple days ago and they were almost out of water. A few people from the group went scavenging yesterday, but they never returned. The leader slung his rifle over his shoulder and reached out to take the MRE. When he grabbed the food, he lingered for a bit, hesitant to take it. "It's ok. You can take it." The Major said assuringly.
The leader took the food and looked at the pack as if he just received an endless supply of purified water. He looked to the Major. "Why? Why would you help us?" He asked feeling so confused.
"It's who we are. We're fight for those that need help." The Major told the group leader earnestly. The rest of the combat controllers stepped forward and handed the MREs to the other survivors.
"You fellas are a lot like those Brotherhood boys." The leader said with a small smile. "They fought to keep the wasteland safe so we could have some peace. Until those other guys in fancy power armor showed up. They just came out of nowhere and started attacking us." Tears started to form in the man's eyes. "I lost my wife during the attack." The man used the sleeve of his jacket to wipe away his tears. "We thought the Brotherhood would show up to help. Or perhaps the Lone Wanderer, but no one ever came."
"I'm sorry for your loss." The Major said sincerely. Then something the man said caught his attention. "Who's the Lone Wanderer?"
"He was just some vault dweller that came out of the vault one day to look for his dad. Soon after he just started helping the people of the Capital Wasteland. He even joined the Brotherhood."
"You're talking Eric?" Major Clegg asked.
"Yeah! That's him! That's his name." The man said. "You know him?"
"He's the reason we're here." The Major told him. "He asked for our help and we answered."
The group leader looked down and smiled. "He came through for us after all." He looked back to the Major. "Thank you so much mister...?"
"Clegg…Major Edward Clegg." Major Clegg introduced himself as he extended a hand to the man.
The man shook his hand. "Alex Cottrell." Alex introduced. He looked to his group before looking back at the Major with a look of confusion. "What do we do now? We've lost everything since those soldiers showed up. What's next for us?"
The Major waved a hand as a way of dismissing Alex's worries. "You leave that to us." He looked to his radio operator. "Sergeant call for a pickup and let them know we got survivors who need a place to stay!"
"Yes sir!" The Sergeant said as he radioed the staging area.
"You and your group will be sent to one of our refugee camps where you'll be able to rest and relax. Once we make sure the Capital Wasteland is secure and all search and rescue efforts are finished, we'll start rebuilding settlements for everyone." The Major informed Alex.
Alex nodded in appreciation. "Thank you Major."
Major Clegg nodded as he looked at Alex and the others. Their demeanors had changed. They were a group of scared survivors at first. Now, they were people who had a renewed sense of hope.
Little Lamplight: June 12, 2279. 4:51 P.M.
Lieutenant Jordan Briggs was riding in the lead Humvee of a convoy en route to Little Lamplight. Butch had informed General Wells and the other commanders that the settlement was in a cave and its inhabitants were kids. He didn't know if Lost Hills had targeted the settlement like all the others or if they ignored it. Either way he wanted to make sure those kids were ok.
"Coming up on the cave entrance sir." The Lieutenant's driver said.
Lieutenant Briggs grabbed his radio. "Command Post this is Shield One we're arriving at our destination now. Will radio back as soon as we find survivors."
"Roger Shield One, use extreme caution."
Upon arriving to the entrance to Little Lamplight, the soldiers were met with a gruesome sight. The ground around the entrance was completely scorched and there were several small burned skeletons strewn about. Lieutenant Briggs and his men got out of the Humvee and scanned the area to make sure it was secure. Jordan approached one of the skeletons and knelt down. The remains were that of a child no younger than five. The MP's blood boiled even more.
'They were just kids! What did they do to deserve this?' He thought angrily.
"Area's secure Lieutenant." One MP informed the officer.
Jordan nodded and rallied his men with him. They entered the cave and slowly made their way down, keeping their guns drawn in case any stragglers from Lost Hills took refuge. Once they arrived, the gate that opened up into the children's settlement was blown apart and the bodies of several young kids were lying about. The stench of death completely filled the room. A medic walked over to one of the children and examined the wounds. The child was a young boy, couldn't have been older than eight. There were several cuts across his body and his throat had been slit. The medic sighed as he pulled a blanket out and laid it across the child. The blanket was big enough to cover the other two lying next to him.
'Fucking savages!' Jordan thought to himself as tears began to well up in his eyes. Seeing these poor kids made him think of his daughter. The thought of something happening to her…There would be no force on earth, heaven, or hell that could stop his wrath.
The MPs continued to search the caves for any survivors. Unfortunately, all that remained of the children's settlement was the decaying corpses of its inhabitants. Lieutenant Briggs looked around at his men. He saw some of them were angry, some of them were trying to hold back their tears in a desperate attempt to remain stoic and professional. Those attempts were in vain. One of the Lieutenant's men broke down and collapsed to his knees next to the body of a twelve-year old girl. Sobbing uncontrollably, the MP leaned down and used his fingers to gently close her eyes as his tears fell to her face. Lieutenant Briggs looked away, unable to contain his tears any longer he looked to a Staff Sergeant. "Sergeant Taylor. You and the men gather all the bodies and bring them to the entrance! Prep them for transport!" He looked to the body of a young boy who couldn't have been older than three. Briggs looked back to his NCO who couldn't hold back the tears either. "We're not leaving them down here."
The seasoned Staff Sergeant choked back a sob and nodded. "Yes sir."
As the other military policemen went to complete their task. Lieutenant Briggs walked up to his soldier that had broken down and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "It's alright Private. It's going to be alright." He said gently squeezing his shoulder.
The Private quickly nodded, wiped his tears away, and took a few deep breaths. The soldier scooped the girl into his arms. More tears fell from his face as he whispered. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." He carried her over to where the rest of her friends were being laid down.
Jordan quickly made his way out of the caves until he was back outside standing next to his Humvee. He was desperately trying to control his breathing for a few seconds before throwing up all over the ground. Lieutenant Briggs' shoulders began to shake as he silently cried. "Why?" He angrily whispered through grit teeth. "Why? Why? Why?" He unstrapped his helmet and slammed it against the hood of his truck. His action startled a few of the MPs that were outside pulling security. "WHYYYYYYYYY? THEY WERE JUST FUCKING KIDS! THEY DIDN'T FUCKING DESERVE THIS!" He yelled in sorrow and anger, slamming his helmet against the hood with every word. He finally calmed down, but the thought still echoed in his brain.
At that moment, the words that his Drill Sergeant spoke on his last day of training echoed in his mind.
"I want you all to listen to me now! You all made it through your training and I am damn proud to call you soldiers. Be prepared boys, because within the next week you will be sent to the front lines of Alaska to stop the Chinese…" His Drill Sergeant paused for a moment before continuing. "Even though we've given you the best training, there's still nothing we can do to prepare you for the hell that awaits on the battlefield. I'm not going to sugarcoat it either. I can't promise all of you will come back. A lot of you are going to see things that make you question why you're fighting. You're going to step across a war-torn hellscape covered with the bodies of your enemies, your comrades…and innocent people. You're going to see young kids, women, and elderly strewn about laying lifeless. You're going to question why the innocent had to die. In a war that had nothing to do with them." Lieutenant Briggs and his men could tell their Drill Sergeant was speaking from experience. He had a hardened, yet grief-stricken look on his face. "I'm going to tell you all something and I want you to remember this! There is no such thing as innocence in war. The first casualty of war will always be innocence. Remember this! Use that at your moments of doubt, to fuel your reason to fight! Don't keep fighting because you have to! Keep fighting because of those that died! Keep fighting so that we may one day live in a world where future generations aren't taken from the horrors of war! Keep fighting…so that we can all someday live in a world without war!" Their Drill Sergeant finished loud enough for the other training companies to hear.
"YES DRILL SERGEANT!" Jordan and his fellow soldiers yelled at the top of their lungs.
"I'm going to tell you again. The first casualty of war will always be innocence."
"The first casualty of war is innocence." Jordan whispered to himself, finally wiping the last of his tears away. "Fight for those that died." He strapped his helmet back on and opened the passenger door to his Humvee. Grabbing the radio, he changed the radio frequency to his Battalion Commander. The Lieutenant took a deep breath. "War Eagle Six this is Shield One."
"Shield One this is War Eagle Six, give me a SITREP!" Briggs took another calming breathe.
"War Eagle Six, be advised. We've made it to Little Lamplight…" Jordan took his hand off the hand-mike, trying to figure out how to inform them of what happened. "Sir I regret to inform you that there are no survivors. Requesting more trucks to retrieve the dead. I'm also requesting the Battalion Chaplain come down here sir." Jordan finished as he choked back the lump in his throat.
There was a long pause before he got a reply. "Roger that Shield One. Battalion Chaplain will be on the convoy down there. ETA is twenty-five mikes." His commander informed him sorrowfully.
"Shield One acknowledges all, out!" Briggs put the radio back and leaned against the Humvee. He sighed despondently, wishing that all of this was just a terrible nightmare. Unfortunately, his time in the army had taught him one thing. Reality is its own fucking nightmare.
"Lieutenant."
Jordan turned around to see one of his men standing behind him. "What is it Sergeant?"
The Sergeant held up a piece of paper. "We found this in the building by the entrance. It looks like some of the kids got out."
"What?!" Jordan almost shouted as he snatched the piece of paper and began to read with rising hopes. The handwriting was more than enough of an indication that it was written by a child. However, the first part of the letter threw him for a loop.
Hey Mungo,
Jordan frowned at that. 'What the hell is a mungo?' He thought to himself before he realized that was irrelevant and continued reading.
I don't even know if you'll get this letter, but if you do, just know that a lot of us made it out. Me, Lucy, Bumble, Penny, Squirrel, and a few others were on a supply run when we heard the explosions near lamplight. When we came back, everyone was dead. We can't stay here. Those tin can fuckers…
Jordan paused upon reading that. 'Well these kids definitely have no sense of boundaries when it comes to language.' He continued reading.
…destroyed everything. Our home is all gone. We tried going to your Brotherhood friends for help, but those bastards that attacked our home were everywhere. We're packing all of our things and heading to a safe house you set up for us if we were ever forced out of Little Lamplight. You remember? Jocko will have a cold Pop ready for you at Signal SV. If you haven't gotten your head blown off by those tin cans, we'll be there waiting for you mungo.
Mayor MacCready
"Signal SV?" The veteran MP asked out loud. He looked to his Sergeant. "Do you know what it means Sergeant?"
"Negative sir, but we're ready now to fan out and start looking for the survivors. We'll search the whole goddamn region if we have to. Just give the order sir!"
"Stand by Sergeant." Lieutenant Briggs grabbed the radio and changed the frequency. "Command Post this is Shield One come in, over!"
"Shield One, go ahead."
"Be advised, we've received intel on survivors from Little Lamplight, break (when a soldier says break on the radio, it is their way of saying pause during a radio report), their location is currently unknown, break, requesting additional forces to start search and rescue ASAP. How copy over?" Lieutenant Briggs informed waiting for a reply.
"Roger Shield One, be advised all forces are currently committed across D.C. Those that are conducting rescue operations are spread too thin to spare the manpower." Jason recognized General Wells' voice on the radio. "Additional ground forces are inbound from Rebirth. They're ETA is three hours."
Jordan groaned in frustration. "Roger that Command Post. Shield One, out." He said as he put his radio back. At that moment he heard the familiar sound of a helicopter in the distance. The MPs turned to see a Huey flying towards them before landing in the road that lead to Lamplight's parking lot. Two of the occupants hopped out and Jason recognized them. "Butch, Ryan, good to see you guys."
Butch still recovering from his knife wound, had a medical wrap around his abdomen.
Ryan nodded while Butch took in area around him. The charred landscape and burned out skeletons told him more than enough and he was fighting to keep the tears back. "H-how bad?" He hesitantly asked the Lieutenant.
Jordan shook his head solemnly. "It's bad Butch…a lot of them didn't make it."
Butch didn't say anything for a few seconds as he processed what the older man had told him. He then nodded as a stray tear fell down his face. "Any survivors?"
Jordan handed him the note that was found. Butch quickly skimmed through the note before looking at him. "Signal SV."
"Do you know what it means? Where it's at?" Jordan asked him.
Butch re-read the note and noticed two words that stood out. Jocko and Pop.
Realization dawned upon him and looked backed and forth at Ryan and Jordan. "I know where they are!" He said as he took off in a sprint towards the helicopter with the two of them in tow. Jordan had a couple other MPs follow them and they all boarded the chopper. He also used his personal radio to call his XO (executive officer) to let him know he was in charge.
The pilot took off and looked to his passengers. "Where to boys?"
"Keep heading south!" Butch told the pilot. The pilot nodded and headed to where they needed to go. Butch, the entire way there was praying that they'd find MacCready and the other kids alive. He looked outside the helicopter and saw Jocko's Pop&Gas. "Right there! Land in the street!"
The pilot nodded slowly hovered for a few seconds before touching down in the middle of the road. Butch and the others quickly departed the helicopter and they looked around to make sure the area was secure.
"Alright Butch, where to?" Ryan asked.
Butch pointed up to the radio relay tower. "Up there. We'll have to make our way up there." He said as he made his way over to the tower. The others quickly followed after and as they got closer, they came across the collapsed radio tower that acted as a bridge across the canyon.
"Well this is fucking sketchy." Ryan said as Butch strode across the tower effortlessly.
"Don't worry it's not going to fall." Butch assured the others.
Everyone slowly made their way across the tower, where Butch led them to a manhole by the cliff. Butch and Ryan removed the cover and Butch was the first to go down the ladder. Ryan and Jordan followed him while the two MPs set up security outside.
Butch activated his Pip-Boy flashlight and walked down the hallway. "MacCready! MacCready!" He shouted for the young mayor. He got no response. He turned the corner where the lockers were and pushed one over. Making his way down the right corridor he called out again. "MacCready!"
The door that lead to the main room opened up and he saw the familiar mayor of Little Lamplight pointing his assault rifle at him. MacCready immediately lowered it. "Mungo?"
Butch nodded and let out a long sigh of relief. "Yeah kid its me. Are you alright?"
MacCready snorted in contempt. "Yeah no thanks to you." He spat angrily going back into the main room where the rest of the surviving Lamplighters were.
Butch looked insulted as he and the others followed MacCready into the room. "What do you mean no thanks to us? We didn't do this."
"EXACTLY! YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! YOU DIDN'T HELP US! YOU DIDN'T SAVE OUR FRIENDS! YOU LET OUR HOME GET DESTROYED!" MacCready exploded at Butch. "Look around! Look at what they've done to us!" He said gesturing to his surviving friends.
Butch, Ryan and Jordan looked around and noticed the scared looks on their faces. Some of them were injured. Lucy had a small cut across the side of her forehead and Squirrel had gauze around his arm. Worst of all, these kids had lost everything. Their home, their friends, it was all gone.
Butch looked back at MacCready and he could see tears forming in the boy's eyes. He knew that he was only projecting his anger at them. "MacCready. I'm sorry. I am truly sorry for everything that has happened to you guys. We tried to stop them, we really did, but they had more soldiers and more firepower, they marched over us! By the time we realized what was even happening they already wiped out all of our bases and the other settlements. We couldn't do much without help. Now we're back and the people that attacked you are all dead."
"Well congrats but guess what? It's too late! You were too late!" MacCready said still letting his anger out.
"I know. I'm sorry MacCready, but it's over and now you come out of hiding and you and the others will be taken care of. These guys right here…" He gestured to Ryan and Jordan. "…They're going to help. There's an entire army that came here to help. They're going to keep you guys safe. They'll give you a new home."
Butch didn't know what it was that he said, but in that moment MacCready's anger completely vanished and was replaced with sadness. His eyes began to water and his shoulders slumped. He took off his hat and let the tears fall from his face. It was right then and there that MacCready was no longer the tough, no bullshit kid that was in charge of Little Lamplight, but just another broken child who lost so much. In a war that had nothing to do with him or his friends.
Butch walked over to MacCready, got down on his knees and pulled him into a supportive hug. MacCready tried to break away from him, but Butch held him in place. He needed this. He needed to know that he was going to be ok. That everyone of them were. Finally, MacCready stopped fighting Butch and returned the hug as he cried into the older man's shoulder.
"I don't want a new home. I want my old one. I want my friends back. I want, I want…" MacCready couldn't speak anymore and he just continued to cry.
Butch, no longer able to hold his tears in any longer, cried with the young boy. Ryan and Jordan looked at the scene before them and the other kids and they had tears welled up in their eyes.
Butch pulled out of the embrace and held onto MacCready's shoulders. "I know that you are scared kid. I know you've lost so much and you have no idea how badly I wished we could've stopped this. Understand this though, its over. You're ok, your friends are ok, and all the friends that you lost. They're going to be taken care of. They're going to be given proper burials. We're going to help you and we aren't going to let you down again. You have my word."
MacCready nodded as he used the sleeve of his jacket to wipe the tears away.
Butch pulled MacCready into a hug again. Though MacCready would never admit it, that gesture meant more to him than anything else.
VAPL-84 Power Station June 12, 2279. 6:49 P.M.
Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Jackson, commanding officer of the 1st Marine Recon Battalion was conducting search and rescue with his men. They had already found several people that had taken refuge in the Dunwich building. Something about that place gave him the creeps. He made a mental note to have a team go through and search the entire building.
They continued their trek east and came across a power station. Colonel Jackson saw a dumpster and a semi-truck next to the station as he and his men continued to move forward. One of his men opened the dumpster to see if anyone was hiding inside. As he moved closer to the semi he heard a creaking sound in the cab of the truck. He kept his rifle at the low ready and slowly approached the driver side door and saw dry blood against the handle. Slowly he reached up, grabbed the handle, and yanked the door open. He was not prepared for the site that would meet his eyes.
Sitting in the seat was a girl with shoulder-length brown hair. Her small size told the man she was no more than fifteen. Her body had been beaten, bruises covered her soft flesh while cuts varying in both depth and length sat in her face. Her clothes were nowhere to be seen in the rusting cab, her only refuge from whatever hell she had experienced. Her legs were tucked to her chest making her seem like a small child. Small sobs leaving her throat as he looked her over.
"Get the medic!" He called out.
Upon hearing his shout, the girl looked up, fear covered her tear stained face. A scream rasped from her mouth scratching Jackson's ears as it left. She scrambled back but the passenger door blocked her escape. He reached out and tried to grab her ankle, trying to prevent further injury to the distressed girl. Upon gripping her ankle his eyes caught sight of something that turned his blood to ice. Between her thighs was blood. Dried was mixed with fresh, old with new, trauma with fear.
"It's ok. It's ok. We aren't here to hurt you." His voice was low and calm, trying to hide the desperation in his voice. Releasing his grip, he backed away from the truck. As he got farther away she slowly started to calm down, pulling her legs back to her chest to cover up what dignity she still had. Jackson moved around to the front of the truck out of sight of her. He took a knee and removed his assault pack from his shoulders. He rummaged through the bag until he found his blanket. Its threads were starting to wear but it was all he could manage.
"Sir, you called for me?" He turned his gaze to see his medic. Her eyes were curious as he handed her the blanket.
"There is a girl in the cab of that truck" He gestured with a shaky finger "She shows signs of blunt force trauma on her body, lacerations on her face, and signs of s-sex-sexual assault." His voice started to give as tears welled up in his eyes. The medic put a hand on his shoulder and gently took the blanket. She said nothing as she started toward the truck.
His head was flooded with images of his daughters. Their smiling faces, their bright eyes, and their heads held high. He couldn't imagine them like this poor girl. He couldn't imagine anything but happiness for his little girls that he loved more than life itself. His brain had different ideas. He saw them alone, afraid, and abused. He saw them with their heads hung in shame as their dignity and pride was stripped away from them. He saw them bloody and bruised. He saw them on the verge of death as their bodies were violated by the enemy he had fought. His sadness was replaced with anger, and his anger was replaced with hate.
Colonel Jackson quickly forced those thoughts away as he rationalized that his daughters were safe and sound and this girl right now needed their help. He slid his combat pack on and waved his radio operator over to him.
The radio operator quickly made his way over to him. "Get on the radio and request a medevac to our location right fucking now!" He ordered in a still somewhat shaky voice.
"Yes sir!" The radioman said pulling out his hand-mike and a map. "Command Post this is Trojan Six…"
The medic slowly approached the cab of the truck and saw a few Marines getting closer themselves. She knew their curiosity was getting the better of them, but right now the last thing this young girl needed was a bunch of strange people scaring her even more. After everything that she had been through, she needed reassurance that no more harm would come to her.
"Get back! All of you step away right now!" The Medic ordered sternly in a loud enough voice for the others to hear her, but not startle the girl. The other Marines quickly backed away from the truck. She looked to one of the Marines closest to her. "I need you to prep the stretcher." She said taking off her assault pack which had the folded-up stretcher. She reached inside to pull out her med bag.
"Got it." He said as he started putting it together.
The medic before approaching any closer, took off her helmet, her tac-vest, and unholstered her sidearm, setting it on the ground. She took a deep breath before moving to the driver's side of the truck. The moment she laid her eyes on the girl, she felt so sick she wanted to vomit. She had seen so many different injuries on the battlefield, ranging from small cuts, to gunshot wounds, to intestines outside someone's body. This on the other hand…she'd never in her life dealt with a rape victim.
At that moment the girl looked at the medic and they made eye contact. The medic could see the pure look of fear and hurt that was being held in those emerald eyes. Unwilling to allow it to continue, the medic grabbed the door and slowly lifted herself up til she was in the cab of the truck. The girl started to panic again and tried to get even further away but was pressed against the passenger door. The medic kept as much distance as possible and raised her hands up to show her that she wasn't a threat.
"It's ok. I'm not going to hurt you." She told the frightened teen in a calm reassuring tone.
Fresh tears fell from the girl's eyes and she was shaking in fear. She shook her head. "Leave me alone! Please, go away!" She pleaded in a raspy voice; her lips were chapped. It was a clear indication that she was dehydrated.
The medic opened her med bag and pulled out a bottle of water. She uncapped the bottle and held it out for the girl. "Here, take this." The girl remained still where she was, looking back and forth between the water that was being offered and the woman that was offering it to her. "Look at me!" The medic told her and the girl reluctantly complied. "I promise you that I'm not going to hurt you and no one else is going to hurt you anymore. You're safe now. Please, take this." She told the girl as she held out the bottle closer to her.
The girl, still trembling with fear shook her head. "Th-those men that attacked me. They s-said they we-weren't done with me."
The medic calmly shook her head. "Hey. Those men are gone now. They're not coming back and even if they did, they're going to have to go through me and everyone else outside to get to you. I promise that you are safe now. We are going to do everything we can to protect you."
The girl was still unsure of what to do. This strange woman was offering her a bottle of water and telling her she was safe, when just two days ago, she had been mercilessly beaten, tortured and…She thought about what to do. She could try to run, but there were others outside and she wouldn't get far. She looked back to the older woman and she could see the sincerity in her eyes. Slowly she reached out and grabbed the water bottle with a trembling hand. She lifted the bottle to her mouth and slowly started to drink, savoring the smooth cold liquid going down her throat. She stopped drinking and more tears fell, feeling somewhat safe for the first time in days. She looked at the medic and saw that she had a small smile on her lips and a single tear had run down her face. In that moment, the girl felt that she could trust her.
"Thank you." She said kindly in a still raspy voice.
The medic nodded. "You're welcome. Here." She slowly moved closer to the girl and gently wrapped the blanket around her. "Can you tell me your name?" She asked the girl.
"Tanisha." She replied hugging the blanket to her body.
"Ok Tanisha. My name is Ashley and I'm a medic. I need to look over your injuries. Ok?" Ashley told the girl.
Tanisha slowly nodded and allowed Ashley to examine all of her injuries. Upon examination she found severe bruising on her abdomen. She gently pressed a hand against it and Tanisha winced in pain, indicating she had broken ribs. Ashley also noticed how Tanisha's feet were cut up and bloody, signs that she had been running barefoot for a long distance through the harsh terrain. She inspected the cuts on her face and saw some of them were as deep as half an inch. Ashley looked down and noticed that Tanisha's throat had bruising around it.
Ashley's bold was boiling. She was praying to God that the men who did this to the young girl were dead and that they had died a very gruesome death. If not, she was going to hunt them down and disembowel them with her scalpel.
"Ok, can you tell me if there is anything else that hurts? Anything that I can't see or you may have that you're afraid to tell me?" Ashley asked her.
Tanisha looked nervous and humiliated at the same time. She looked down at her lap then back to Ashley. That told her enough. "It's ok Tanisha. It's going to be ok. We're going to give you the help you need." Ashley took a stimpak and a med-x out of her bag. "This will help numb the pain." She said as she gently injected her arm with both syringes before discarding them on the truck floor. "Ok now Tanisha I want you to listen to me. You can trust the guys outside. They want to help you as much as I do. In a few minutes, there's going to be a helicopter to take you to a field hospital where we'll help with your injuries."
The look of fear and uncertainty returned to Tanisha, but Ashley put a calming hand on hers. "I promise you, that we won't let anything happen to you. Ok?"
Tanisha was still scared, but she nodded. She trusted Ashley and if she could trust the people outside, then she was willing to take the risk. Ashley slowly made her way out of the cab of the truck and got on the ground where she saw Colonel Jackson approach her.
"How is she?" He asked her with an earnest tone.
Ashley sighed. "Her name is Tanisha and she's been through hell sir. We'll have to get her to the field hospital for further treatment. Her injuries are extensive, both physically and psychologically. She's afraid that someone's going to attack her again. However, I managed to get her to trust us. To let her know she's safe."
"I swear that as long as I'm alive, I will not allow another person to harm her. She will be kept safe no matter the cost." He said with a fire in his voice. He looked up to the cab and saw the girl was slowly sliding her way towards the driver's side of the truck. He looked back to his medic. "Can she walk?"
Ashley shook her head. "I wouldn't recommend it sir. Her feet are cut up pretty bad, indicating she must've run a long way to escape from her attackers. I need some help to get her on the stretcher."
"Colonel." Both of them turned to the radio operator. "Medevac is en route. ETA is 3 mikes."
Jackson nodded. "Ok, I need you to help me get this girl on the stretcher Sergeant."
The radioman nodded and followed him to the truck's cab. Tanisha saw the two men approach her and she was about to panic when Ashley spoke. "Tanisha its ok. They just want to help."
Tanisha looked at Ashley and back at the two Marines. She slowly kept making her way out of the truck. Jackson and his radioman held out their arms to help the girl down.
The girl looked at the Colonel who had tears in his eyes. Something about this man told her that he was sincere.
"It's ok. It's going to be ok." He told her assuringly.
Tanisha nodded and took his hand and the radio operator's hand. They helped her out of the truck and scooped her legs under their arms and carried her over to the stretcher. Another Marine set another blanket down on top of it so she would be kept warm. Jackson and his radioman gently laid Tanisha down on the stretcher and they re-applied her blanket to keep her covered up.
Off in the distance they could hear the approaching medevac helicopter which began to startle the girl. Jackson, still kneeling down next to the girl placed a calming hand on hers to let her know that he wouldn't let anything happen to her.
Away from the group a Marine lit a red flare and began to wave it to signal to the pilot their location. The Huey hovered towards them before landing. Ashley gathered her gear and she and the radioman gently lifted the stretcher up and walked her over to the helicopter. The entire time, Colonel Jackson kept his hand on hers, refusing to let go. The medics in the helicopter helped load her in and made sure she was strapped in for the flight.
The Colonel saw one of his officers' approach. "Captain Peterson, you're in command now. Continue search and rescue operations." He ordered over the roar of the helicopters rotors.
"Yes sir!" He looked to the rest of the Marines. "Let's go Recon! Move out!"
Ashley climbed in the chopper and closed the door before signaling to the pilot they could take off. As soon as they were airborne one of the medics took out an IV bag and prepared to inject the needle in her arm. Tanisha was afraid at first, but it quickly vanished. She didn't know if it was because of Ashley's presence or the reassuring hand that Jackson still had on her.
She finally felt truly safe.
Capitol Building: June 12, 2279. 9:23 P.M.
The U.S. Military had moved its staging area and command post to the Capitol Building after the battle against Lost Hills had been won. General Andrew Wells stood at the top of the steps and looked out across the Mall, where more troops started arriving by helicopter. More than half of his forces were spread out across the Capital Wasteland, conducting search and rescue, hunting down any remnant Lost Hills troops, and setting up refugee camps for all the wastelanders they came across.
So far, they had managed to root out the remaining Lost Hills soldiers that fled into the D.C. subway tunnels. Since then the only Lost Hills troops they came across were dead ones. They had established refugee camps and field hospitals at Andale, Springvale, Old Olney, Fairfax, Calverton, Germantown, and the Lincoln Memorial.
The bodies of their fallen enemies had already been stripped of their armor, weapons, and were being taken to a burn site outside of D.C. These men didn't deserve a proper burial. No, they deserved to burn like the rapid dogs that they were.
As for all the men and women he lost today. He's having them gathered up and brought to Arlington. There was still a lot of land there where he could give his men a proper military funeral. He was also giving the same courtesy to any fallen East Coast Brotherhood soldier they came across. These men gave their lives for the people of the Capital Wasteland. They deserve this honor.
They were also setting up a new site for a cemetery for all the innocent that had died south of the scrapyard. There was a lot of land for the number of confirmed dead they had.
General Wells clenched his fists and let out and angry sigh through his teeth. He hated Lost Hills for what they had done. For all the lives they've taken, for all the people they've made suffer. He was glad that General Marshes and his men were enjoying a nice, long, painful stay in hell.
However, there was one thing that he could thank Lost Hills for. During their campaign in D.C. they had already torn down a lot of destroyed buildings and moved the rubble away. Lost Hills had also left behind many dump trucks, bulldozers and an almost unlimited supply of cement, mixers, tools, and other supplies that proved vital. These supplies would help the U.S. Military establish new bases for its troops and buildings and homes for the refugees. He had sent some of those vehicles and supplies with a garrison of troops to rebuild and reestablish Adams Airforce Base.
"General." Andrew turned around to see Lieutenant Hawk standing there. "The others would like to talk to you sir."
"Thank you, Lieutenant."
"Sir!" He saluted the General before walking off.
General Wells turned and strode to the command tent that was set up. He walked inside to see Generals Michaelson, Webb, Brookes, Foster, Admiral Howard, and the Midwestern Brotherhood General, Jack Monroe. They were all standing around a table looking at a map of the region.
He walked over to them. "Do you have confirmed counts?" He asked gravely. They all nodded. "Ok. I'll start." He said looking at the sheet of paper before him. "I've got a total of 312 dead, plus 6 tanks, 6 helicopters, 4 trucks, and 9 Humvees." The Army General said.
General Michaelson, commander of the Marine Corps answered next. "I lost 149 men. Plus 2 tanks and 3 helicopters."
National Guard General Brookes spoke next. "105 Guardsmen, 6 trucks, 2 Humvees, 1 tank."
Admiral Howard spoke. "26 SEALS."
General Foster was next. "31 Shadow Knights."
General Webb looked to Andrew. "24 Combat Controllers." The Air Force Commander said.
All together the U.S. Military had lost a total of 647 troops.
General Monroe was the last to answer. "19 men and 1 vertibird." He said looking away from the others. He felt ashamed that the had lost less than the others did.
Andrew noticed this. "Jack. We all lost good men and women today. This wasn't a contest about who could lose the least number of soldiers."
The Brotherhood General nodded, but it wasn't just that. "I know, but you have to understand. I gave Marshes the supplies and firepower to help his forces. Look what happened. He used all that against your forces, innocent people…another Brotherhood chapter. I unknowingly helped him cause so much death and destruction."
General Michaelson held up a hand to keep General Monroe from continuing. "That's the thing Jack. You didn't know. You couldn't have known. You may have given him the firepower, but when you realized the truth, you rallied your forces and you moved in to stop him. You helped us wipe Marshes and his men off the face of the Earth."
"I still made a mistake. A mistake I'm going to regret til the day I die." Jack said looking down at the current casualty report they had received from the patrols that were still looking for survivors. The number of innocent lives lost had reached over 1,200 and it was still rising.
General Wells wasn't going to let him continue down that train of thought. "Jack, you made a mistake. Guess what? We're all human, we all make mistakes. Right now, you and your men, are currently rectifying that mistake. You're helping these people rebuild their lives. So, don't let this get you down. Alright?"
General Monroe nodded. "My men set up our long-range communications to contact the Midwest. I've requested they send additional forces as well as resources to help establish newly constructed settlements. We have many limestone quarries and steel manufacturing plants that are operational. I want to provide any help that I can give. I've also contacted the Texas Brotherhood and General Phillips will send some troops as well as resources."
Andrew nodded in appreciation. "Thank you. This all will help us get started in creating a new life for these people and hopefully a new life for us to build."
General Monroe nodded and understood what he was getting at. "The Midwestern and Texas brotherhood have been working for years now to form a single unified government, but at the moment all we've got is an alliance." He paused and looked around at the other Commanders. "From all you've told me about you and your forces, you were frozen so that you could rebuild America."
General Brookes nodded. "Yeah. Unfortunately for us, so much time has passed and the country we knew and loved is gone and from our understanding, because of the Enclave, America can never be brought back." She said sadly.
General Monroe sympathized for them. "I'm afraid you're right. However!" He shouted in a positive tone. "It doesn't mean you can't create a new country, a new government similar to that of what America was. Perhaps it would be wise to make a few changes, because from what I understand there was a lot of political corruption and other things that didn't make America so great."
Andrew snorted amusedly. "Oh, don't get me started. I dealt with it a lot while the government was still around."
Jack pointed at Andrew. "Which is precisely why a new government is absolutely necessary. With leaders who know exactly what it needs. That's why, and I'm going to schedule a meeting with General Phillips about this, we help you establish a local government to help the region. Expand out a bit further, get more people to join you, and when the time comes. The U.S. Military and the Midwestern and Texas Brotherhood can form a single united government under one flag."
Admiral Howard looked confused. "But wouldn't the Brotherhood want to continue its goal of securing pre-war technology? Wasn't that why the Brotherhood was formed?"
Jack nodded. "It was, but for a long time now, neither us nor the Texas Brotherhood have stuck to looking for technology. Our goal is the same goal the East Coast Brotherhood had. To protect the innocent. To ensure safety and security across the wasteland…It is the same goal you all have. We are willing to form an alliance with you in the hopes that someday we can form a united government." He looked to Andrew. "I speak for the Midwestern and Texas Brotherhood when I say we want to help you establish stability, and to form an alliance." The Brotherhood General said extending his hand.
Andrew shook the fellow General's hand in great appreciation and respect. The other Generals shook Jack's hand. In that moment, Eric and Melissa walked in the tent. Andrew looked to Eric and saw the young man was still battered from his fight with Marshes. His left arm was in a sling and his right eye was black and had bruising across his face. Andrew was more concerned about how he was emotionally. He just lost a lot of friends and his loved one.
"Eric…How are you? Are you doing ok?" General Brookes asked concernedly.
Eric looked at her and nodded his head. "Yeah. I'm fine." He said in a very convincing tone. Though everyone in the room could see the pain that he was going through.
Andrew wanted to ask if he was sure but decided not to press the subject. All Eric needed was some time and something to keep his mind occupied. Time healed all wounds of course. He cleared his throat. "Eric this is General Jack Monroe. Commander of the Midwestern Brotherhood."
General Monroe extended a hand to Eric which the younger man took. "Eric Daniels, former Star-Paladin, Lyon's Brotherhood."
Monroe was silent for a few seconds before releasing his grip. "I'm sorry we couldn't have come sooner…and I'm so-"
"General." Eric interrupted him. "I don't blame you or your men for supplying Lost Hills. You didn't know." He assured the General. Monroe nodded in relief and Eric looked to Andrew. "So, what can you tell me?"
The Army General's eyes flicked to Melissa who also had the same level of concern as him, but he looked back at the table with the map of D.C. and its surrounding areas. "We've got a firm grip on the region. All remaining Lost Hills forces have been neutralized. Refugee camps and field hospitals have been set up in the towns across the region. Security checkpoints have been set up throughout the area and they're all a mile apart from each other. I've got search and rescue going on around-the-clock. I've also got my engineers clearing the rubble from destroyed buildings and they'll begin building new ones tomorrow. The Midwestern brotherhood is also sending in more troops and resources to help us."
Eric nodded as the General briefed him. "Alright, I just came back from the field hospital at Bethesda. They need more medics. More and more wounded keep coming in."
"I'll send word out to the next wave of troops. How's your friend McGraw doing?" Andrew asked him. Everyone heard about the Paladin's miraculous survival despite his injuries.
Eric sighed. "They're still trying to replace all the blood he's lost. He's missing a leg and he's blind in his left eye. The docs said it'll be touch and go for a while, but they're monitoring his vitals. All in all, they said his chances are a lot greater than they should be."
"He's a tough man Eric. He'll pull through this." Andrew told Eric. "Now, we've received reports of some of the refugees asking to help us and w-"
"Let them." Eric interrupted. "Right now, these people, though they have been through a lot and are grateful for your help, they're very resourceful. You'll find a lot of wastelanders are very capable at coming together to help others. To them, letting them help is a show of good faith. If you turn away their offer then it causes them to be less trustworthy towards you, because they see it as at insult. The reason for that is because the Outcasts would make every wastelander they come across feel like idiots. That they were incapable of amounting to anything. You let them help, it's a good start to show that not only are you here to help them, but you're also willing to trust them to help you."
General Monroe nodded in agreement to that. "He's right. I've seen it before many times. Many wastelanders have somewhat of a pride thing that they can't let go of. You help them and they'll help you and vice-versa. However, if you don't accept their help they'll see it as a way of you saying that you're better than them. They'll also see it as a way of stripping them of their independence."
The other Commanders in the room slowly processed everything that Eric and Jack told them. Finally, Andrew nodded. "Alright. Any suggestions where they can help us out at."
"Megaton."
"Where?" General Webb asked with a raised brow.
"It's just down the road from Springvale. It's a makeshift settlement that was made out of scrap and airplane parts in a giant crater. It was also built in around an undetonated atomic bomb, but it was disarmed." He said hastily as he saw the alarming looks on everyone's face. "The town was destroyed to prevent Lost Hills from using it as a base. Everyone in the Capital Wasteland has been to Megaton once or twice. It started to expand and receive more people. You let the people help rebuild Megaton, they'll really begin to trust you, because you're rebuilding a settlement that was symbolic out here."
The others nodded. "Ok, so what will we need in order to rebuild Megaton?"
"Your engineers will really be useful for this. Since it was built in a crater, bulldozers could come in handy to help make the ground more stable and easy for people to walk around. I'll be honest, it was a steep ass hill to walk up to get to the entrance. Plus, it'll help make buildings easier to build and less of a chance of collapsing if there was too much weight."
"What do we use to build homes?" General Brookes asked.
"Anything. Concrete if you want, but just remember this. Megaton was created by people that came together and used scrap and planes. In the wasteland, you can create a home using anything.
Andrew nodded. "Alright, we'll begin rebuilding Megaton tomorrow."
Eric nodded and heard the tent flaps open. He turned to see Harkness, Butch, Carter, Ryan, Sage, Grayson and his brother Mason. Grayson was using crutches because of the broken kneecap he had received earlier. Seconds later, Dogmeat came running in and almost tackled Eric over. He was excited to see his K-9 friend again. Eric yawned very loudly. He was beyond exhausted.
Andrew put a hand on Eric's shoulder. "Why don't you get some sleep Eric." He looked to everyone else in his group. "All of you. You've been up for over 24 hours and after the day you guys went through. You deserve some R&R. Head over to one of the tents and get some shut eye! Consider it an order too!"
"Actually…I have a place that I can stay at. That they all can stay at." He said gesturing to the group.
Andrew nodded. "Alright, we'll see you tomorrow."
"I also know of some other resources that can help you in rebuilding, but it'll be about five days before we can get access to it." Eric informed them looking at his Pip-Boy.
"What is it?" General Webb asked.
Eric gave a tired half smile. "You wouldn't believe me, but I'll tell you this. It's out of this world!" He said as he left the tent with Dogmeat following behind. Melissa and Butch were right behind him along with the rest of the group. The General's were all left standing there with looks of confusion on their faces.
Springvale: June 12, 2279. 10:18 P.M.
A truck pulled up outside a destroyed house. Eric and everyone else got off the truck and thanked the driver for the ride before he took off. Eric walked inside the burned-out shell of a building over to the steel door that led to his underground home.
"Can someone help me open this?" Eric asked the others. Ryan, Mason, and Sage helped him lift the heavy steel door. They followed him down the stairwell. When Eric opened the door, they were met with a Mister Handy robot.
"Welcome home sir! It's good to see you alive and…somewhat well!" The robotic butler stated in a very jovial manner. "Are you alright though? Would you like some painkillers sir?" He asked with concern.
"Yes! Please and thank you Wadsworth. I might not be the only one either. These are our guests." He said gesturing to his group who were still trying process what they were looking at.
"Ah welcome!" Wadsworth said excitedly as he made his way over to the rest of them. "Can I get you anything? Some water perhaps?"
Everyone shook their heads no, except for Carter. "I'll take some water." He said. "And some painkillers too."
"Of course, sir, right away!" The Mister Handy flew off to fetch a bottle of purified water and some painkillers.
Melissa looked at Eric in disbelief. "How in the hell did you get a personal Mister Handy?"
Eric shrugged his shoulders. "I bought a house in Megaton and he just came with it."
Melissa just shook her head. 'He's just full of surprises.' She thought to herself.
"Come with me." Eric lead them around the corner to where there were four bunkbeds. "You guys can sleep here. There's extra blankets in the lockers." He said pointing at the lockers across from them. Eric yawned. "Ok I'm getting some sleep. If anyone needs me or gets hungry, go on downstairs. Goodnight." Everyone wished him goodnight as he walked downstairs to his room.
Everyone chose a bed and started taking their gear off and sliding it underneath. Ryan and the other Shadow Knights unholstered their sidearms, ejected the mags and the rounds in the chambers. Seating the rounds back in the mags, they slid the mags back in the pistols and put them underneath their pillows. Ryan looked over and saw Melissa staring towards the stairs that led to Eric's room. He knew that she was worried about him just as much as he was. He looked over and saw Butch leaning against the lockers and was also staring down the stairs. Butch sighed and walked over to his bed. Sitting down he began untying his boots.
"You're not going to talk to him?" Ryan asked Butch.
Butch looked up. "I've already tried. Multiple times actually. He keeps brushing me off like there's nothing to talk about."
"I'll talk to him." Everyone looked over to see Melissa walking towards the doorway, stepping to the side to allow Wadsworth through.
"Excuse me ma'am." He said floating over to hand Carter his bottle of water and painkillers.
Melissa slowly made her way downstairs and saw Eric was sitting on his bed with his head in his hand. He had removed his BDU jacket and Beret. He also removed the sling from his arm. She narrowed her eyes to examine his wound from where she was standing. It looked like his wound was almost finished healing, which was miraculous and strange seeing as how he was shot earlier today.
She turned her attention away when she heard what sounded like loud chewing. In the far-left corner she saw a little doghouse where Dogmeat was currently enjoying some Brahmin jerky. He looked up and saw Melissa staring at him, but thought she was eyeing his jerky. The Siberian Husky immediately turned around to hide his snack from her as he continued to eat.
Melissa smiled at the dog's antics before looking to Eric. She cleared her throat to get his attention. "Are you ok?"
Eric didn't look up at her. "I'm fine Melissa." He lied.
"Riiiight, and I'm Jangles the Moon Monkey." She said with a sarcastic smile.
Eric looked up at her with an unamused expression. She still had that smile on her face. "I said I'm fine Melissa."
Her smile vanished and she shook her head. "You're not fine Eric. You're hurting and you know it."
Eric frowned at her. "I. Am. Fine. Now, leave me alone." He said pointing at the stairs. Melissa immediately closed the door to the stairs and crossed her arms defiantly. Eric glared at her even harder for that. "Alright. You wanna talk? Let's talk. How are you today?" He asked sardonically.
Melissa returned a frown of her own. "Cut the attitude Eric! We're all worried about you."
"There's nothing to worry about. I'm fine." He argued stubbornly.
Melissa's expression turned somber. "Eric…" She thought carefully about what she was going to say to him next. "…you've lost a lot of friends over the past few days. You've also lost someone you love. You can't just keep pretending that everything is ok. You need to grieve."
"I've done enough grieving! I don't need to grieve, I just need to focus on what lies ahead." He said adamantly. "Now if that's all you wanted to talk about, then get out!"
"No." She refused to listen.
"I SAID GET OUT!" He roared shooting to his feet with clenched fists. His outburst caused Dogmeat to stop munching on his treat and he left his doghouse to observe the situation before him.
"Or what? She asked calmly.
Melissa unfolded her arms and she put her hands on her hips. She wasn't going to leave and he wasn't going to make her leave until she got it through his thick skull that he needed to stop hiding his pain and understand that they were all there for him.
Melissa heard footsteps coming down the stairs. No doubt it was Ryan coming to his little sister's defense.
She reached over and locked the door before he could open it, not taking her eyes off Eric once. "Back off Ryan! Everything is just fine." Silence followed for a few seconds. "Now Ryan! Or do I need to pull rank on you?" She asked, willing to use her status as Captain. A few more seconds passed before she heard him walk back upstairs.
Eric was still staring at her angrily. He just wanted her to leave so he could get some peace and quiet. As they stared each other down, Eric took in the expression in her eyes. She wasn't angry for his attitude, she wasn't judging him. She felt nothing but sympathy for him. Like she understood his pain.
His anger slowly diminished, his hands unclenched, and his shoulders sagged. Eric slumped back down on the bed with new tears in his eyes. "I don't know what to do." He said, never sounding so broken in his life. He put his head back in his hands and silently cried.
Melissa walked over to Eric and sat down next to him. She pulled him close into an embrace. He leaned his head into the crook of her neck as she rubbed his back. When Melissa first met Eric, she could tell that he was a strong, brave, and caring man. She hated to see him so defeated, so broken.
She had to let him know that he wasn't the only one that knew the kind of pain he was feeling. "I know how you feel Eric." She whispered.
Eric gently shook his head. "No, you don't."
"Yes, I do Eric." She told him.
"How?" He asked, pulling away to look her in the eyes with anxiety, as if silently telling her to stop. "I've lost so much. I've lost so many friends, so many good men and women I have served with. To top it all off, the woman that I have loved since I was just a kid…I lost her too. How could you possibly understand how I feel?"
Melissa sighed and looked away for a few seconds. The entire time Eric didn't take his eyes off her, waiting for her response. Finally, she reached inside her shirt and pulled out her dog tags. Eric looked at them and saw the two gold wedding bands attached to the chain. He looked at her in surprise.
She looked back at him with tears in her own eyes. "I was married once Eric. To an amazing man that I had known since we were both ten. We grew up together. We fell in love. We planned our entire lives together…Which also included joining the Army. He was a Ranger serving on the Anchorage lines while I was with Shadow Elite in China." She looked down as a tear escaped down her face. "The life we were going to live together was ripped away from me when my CO pulled me aside and told me he was killed by an artillery barrage near his camp."
Eric was stunned beyond belief. She had lost her husband to the war in Alaska. He wanted to tell her he was sorry, but she continued speaking. "I was flown back to the States for his funeral. To say goodbye to him. I was just…utterly devastated. My commander told me to take as much time as I needed before returning to the frontlines in China. For two long weeks, I bawled, I screamed, I felt so empty. I felt that my life had nothing left, had no meaning left. Finally, I snapped out of it. I told myself that I was done grieving and I had a job to do."
"Melissa." Eric started, but she raised a hand to prevent him from continuing.
"Just listen Eric!" She told him quietly. And he did. "I returned to China and Ryan and Carter were there waiting for me. Told me they were always there for me if needed. The next day my platoon and I were tasked out with eliminating a Chinese General who'd been relentless in launching attacks against our forces. That was the day everything went worse."
"What happened?" Eric asked.
Melissa looked away, thinking back to one of the worst days of her life.
Flashback: Yangtze River, February 4, 2077. 7:49 P.M.
It was a complete warzone. Hundreds of Chinese soldiers had ambushed and pinned down a platoon of Shadow Knights, four of whom had already been killed by heavy machine gun fire. Even with the bullets and missiles flying through the air, most of the remaining Shadow Knights would try and run out to retrieve their wounded.
Captain Melissa Broadhead (Lieutenant at the time) had taken two rounds in her left leg, one in her torso and one in her right shoulder.
"SOMEONE GET THE LIEUTENANT!" One Shadow Knight shouted before taking a dozen rounds to the chest.
A Shadow Knight taking cover behind a wall of rocks spotted a group of Chinese rocket troops. "INCOMING!" He yelled before a volley of missiles slammed into his position, blowing him to pieces and knocking a few others off their feet.
Two Shadow Knights ran forward to try and pull their Lieutenant out of the line of fire, only to be shot in the head by Chinese Crimson Dragoons.
Four Chinese Dragoons decloaked behind a light machine gunner that was ripping apart a Chinese platoon that crossed the river. One of them, armed with an officer's sword, swung the blade and took the Shadow Knight's head off.
One Shadow Knight had run out from behind cover at the speed of lightning with his 9mm pistol and emptied four rounds into the back of one Dragoon. He aimed and shot one in the back of the head and then fired at a third Dragoon, nailing him in the back of the neck. Before he could kill the one who decapitated his comrade, the Dragoon swung the officer's sword and knocked the gun out of his hand. The Dragoon swung again, hoping to kill the "American Scum," only for the Shadow Knight to grab ahold of his wrist and punch him in the face a couple times. The Shadow Knight followed up his attack by ramming his knee into the Dragoon's stomach then twisting his wrist until he relinquished his hold on the blade.
The Shadow Knight grabbed the sword and swung it back, connecting the blade with the Dragoon's neck, effectively decapitating him, just as the Dragoon had done to his fellow Shadow Knight.
The Shadow Knight didn't waste any more time. He ran over to Melissa who was slowly fading in and out of consciousness. "Hang on LT! I got you." He said as he grabbed the collar of her jacket and dragged her to cover. The Shadow Knight looked up and saw two Chinese inferno soldiers readying their flamethrowers.
Unwilling to allow his Lieutenant to die, the Shadow Knight stood in front of her as the soldiers unleashed a torrent of flames, igniting every inch of him. Instead of falling to the dirt screaming in agony, he charged forward and tackled the two soldiers to the ground and held them down as they both caught fire as well. The fire soon spread to their packs, creating an explosion that engulfed them in a massive fireball.
Lieutenant Broadhead looked on as the Chinese was decimating her platoon. Two Chinese soldiers armed with assault rifles approached her with the desire to kill her. She reached for her sidearm when their heads suddenly exploded into bloody bits. Melissa looked around and saw several other Chinese soldiers being gunned down. She looked up to see tracer rounds flying over her across the Yangtze River at the machine gun nests the Chinese set up, keeping them suppressed. Seconds later, multiple American fighters began dropping bombs on the Chinese side of the river.
Melissa heard someone quickly approach her. She was lightheaded from the amount of blood she had lost but was able to see who it was. It was Ryan. Following behind him were several other Shadow Knights who had opened fire on the Chinese.
He looked to Carter who ran over to him. "Keep them pinned down and have Parker and a few others look for survivors!"
"Got it brother." Carter said gathering a few other Shadow Knights to look for survivors from Melissa's platoon.
Ryan knelt down and scooped his younger sister in his arms before running back into the woods to get her away from the fighting.
"R-Ryan." She said hazily.
"Don't talk Melissa! Just hang on! I'm getting you out of here!" Ryan said as he kept running.
Melissa slowly nodded before everything went to black.
(End of Flashback)
Eric had listened attentively as Melissa recounted the events of everything that had happened to her. To her platoon. When she finished she looked at him with more tears in her eyes. She saw that he had shed some tears as he heard her story. "I lost all 25 men that day. I felt that I had failed them. I felt that I truly had nothing left. But Ryan and Carter were there for me. They helped me overcome my guilt, my grief. They made sure I got through all the pain and came out stronger in the end." She put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I know how you feel Eric. I know the torture that you're putting yourself through and denying it won't do anything. It's just going to keep tearing you apart until it finally breaks you. We're ready to help you get through this. All of us. You have Butch, you have Ryan, and Carter…and you have me. Let us be there for you. Please." She finished as she gently squeezed his shoulder.
Eric was quiet. The room was silent for what felt like an eternity until finally, Eric nodded and broke down. Melissa pulled him into the most secure and reassuring hug that she could give and Eric returned it. She held onto him as he sobbed into her shoulder. Dogmeat could sense the sadness of his owner and quickly walked over to him and set his head down in his lap. Eric reached down with one hand to pet his dog.
"It's ok Eric. You're going to be ok." Melissa whispered softly into his ear.
She didn't know how long it would take or how difficult it would be, but as long as she, Butch, and the others were here, they'd help Eric come out much stronger.
This was such a powerful and difficult chapter to write. Bringing the horrors of war to light is never an easy thing. There's so much dread in this chapter, but in the end, hope returns, and hope returns much stronger. You've all gotten a good look at Melissa's past life and the struggles that she went through. You've seen the humanity that a lot of these soldiers have. They were trained for war, trained to kill, but when there are always people that need help, they won't hesitate to step up and do everything they can to help. We'll also see an alliance between America and the Midwestern and Texas Brotherhood. Together they will help pave the way for a great alliance and a powerful nation in the future. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter even though it was a fucking tear jerking one! Please leave a review and let me know what you guys thought. Don't forget I always love constructive criticism if you feel the need to deliver it.
Again I want to give a big shout out to my buddy HippoDeFuego for helping me get through one of the saddest scenes in this story. (We all know which one I'm talking about). Be sure to show him some love in the reviews guys.
One last thing before I go. I must let you all know this. The next chapter...is the final one in this story. What will happen next? There will be time skips into the future showing the progress that America and Eric are making. Also, in the words of Elvis Presley. Viva Las Vegas.
This is NCRMC signing off for now!