Ch#21
Sarah drifted into consciousness at the sound of shuffling in the room a few feet away from her. She cracked her eyes open and was met with the sight of Michael's back as he slipped on a new pair of underwear. She smiled at the glimpse she got of his muscular legs and ass. The blonde let out a sleepy laugh, drawing the attention of her lover.
"Good morning, princess— something funny?" He said with a warm smile.
"Just enjoying the view, Mr. Bubble-butt." She said teasingly, laughing when his cheeks went slightly pink and and turned his butt away from her. She pulled herself from the covers and slid off the bed— walking over to wrap her arms around his neck.
"Don't worry, I like it." She said, before kissing him and pulling away. They both knew they would love to stay in bed all day together but, they had to get moving if they wanted to leave the vault on time. Sarah slipped off his shirt that she had slept in and tossed it at him before sauntering off to the bathroom to shower; slowing long enough before going through the doorway to deliver a temptingly sensual look over her shoulder, then disappearing into the bathroom.
He bit his lip and smiled. "Fuck it."
Michael gave into the temptation and tossed the shirt on the bed; pulled his pants and underwear off once again before following her into the shower.
—
"I can't believe you almost made us late again." The Sentinel said as they walked; her power armor sending a clanking sound through the corridor— attracting the attention of many vault residents they passed. It was early and breakfast wasn't for another hour, so they avoided the large majority of the vault, but there were still enough people passing them to smother them in curious and sometimes hostile looks.
"Relax, we're gonna be on time— we are almost there." He said to his armored superior. They turned the final corner and approached the door that would lead to the final chamber with the vault door. Once he saw a familiar figure leaning against the wall he rolled his eyes and groaned under his breath.
"Hey Decker, thought I was gonna have to come wake you up myself." Said the leather clad, greaser look-a-like. They came to a stop before the door and the young man as he continued to speak. "So, I just wanted to ask if I could roll with you guys to the nearest settlement or whatever on account of us both leaving the vault at the same time an' all."
The Sentinel looked over at her partner to try and get a sense of the relationship between the two but he kept his face neutral as he responded.
"Well, I'm not in charge so I'm not the one to make the call— that would be up to Sentinel Lyons." Gesturing to the woman encased in steel that was standing next to them.
She turned her eyes towards the unknown young man. "Shouldn't be a problem, we are going towards a settlement called Megaton nearby first, so you are welcome to accompany us as long as you follow our lead and don't do anything stupid. You will be under the care of Paladin Decker, given that you already know each other." Then turning towards the door, she continued, "Let's get going we have a schedule to keep."
"Well thanks baby, but I would rather it was you whose care I was under." Butch said in his typical over the top cocky tone, stopping the Sentinel and causing her to cast a confused and annoyed look back at him. She still didn't have much experience with the way men flirt but she was pretty sure he had just made a sexually suggestive remark.
She was about to respond when she saw her subordinate looming behind the foolish wanna be gangster. "I am not sure what the protocol is inside the vault but, I would recommend addressing me as Sentinel Lyons or Ma'am. Otherwise my subordinates might decide to feed you to a deathclaw." A slight smirk came across her face as she turned back and opened the door. "Paladin, he is under your care, so please take a moment in private here to educate him on the proper way to conduct himself before proceeding."
The door soon closed behind her, leaving the two men alone with each other. Butch was either too thick headed or too stupid to catch the obvious hint and started to talk as he turned back to the former vault-dweller. "Well, judging from her face, she is fine as hell but she is a little bit too bitchy for my ta—"
His words were cutoff by a large gloved hand clamping down over his mouth and pinned him against the wall of the corridor. His muffled protests died in his throat as he made eye contact with the warrior's. His eyes were filled with a savage anger easily visible just below the surface; barely being stopped from turning him into a stain on the wall.
"Butch, do not address her or even look at her unless absolutely necessary." He started in a tight voice, barely holding back the urge to break the childhood bully's neck as he continued; "When we get out there you will do exactly as I say, how I say it, when I say it. If you don't I will gut you like a pig, break both of your legs and leave you to be eaten alive by whatever animal or monster happens to find you. Do we understand each other?"
Butch nodded silently.
As he pulled his hand off and took a step back the warrior spoke again. "Good. Also, I go by the nickname 'Leo' while I am out in the wasteland so call me by that name if you want to address me and keep any personal information about me a secret as long as you are out there. Now come on, we gotta leave."
"W-why do you want me to keep stuff about you a secret?" Butch asked hesitantly as he followed Leo through the door.
"People in the wasteland will use anything and everything at their disposal to cheat, steal, and kill. Information, even the tiniest detail about someone that seems unimportant, can lead to losing everything." He said simply, without turning around.
—
There was a handful of vault higher-ups, including Amata, there along with the five soldiers and Butch to greet the new soldiers coming into the vault. Most of the soldiers were medical and science personnel that would be lead by the newly promoted Knight Captain Hannon and an incoming Paladin that was a doctor.
Everything went relatively smoothly but Leo could feel some kind of intensity between the new Overseer and the Sentinel. He knew that that tension couldn't be a good sign so he was able to breath a little easier when he heard the vault door grind shut behind them as they moved out into the wasteland.
Leo stopped and stood silently to once again marvel at the beauty of the outside world. He had almost forgotten that it was winter until he saw the white covered scenery and felt the ice-cold breeze. He heard Butch start to loudly talk behind him as he began looking around excitedly.
"Yes! I am finally out of that stupid Vault!" He exclaimed happily, causing the rest of the five that were with him to smile because they felt much the same way. Leo let Butch have his moment to look around and absorb this entirely new world while he pulled his hood and mask on once again.
When Leo turned back towards the group Butch stopped his observation of the snowscape and flood of questions, directed towards the other soldiers, and gave him a strange look. "Uhh…whats with the mask dude? No offense or anything but, it's creepin' me out a little."
"Good. It's like I told you earlier; I like to keep information about myself a secret, even my face." He said as the handful of soldiers and their guest made their way down a slight incline to a waiting group of just over 50 soldiers adorned with power armor and large weapons. Once the chorus of greetings to the 5 soldiers had died down they began moving down a broken road towards Megaton.
—
A few hours, and about a thousand questions from Butch, later they came within sight of the gates of the settlement and Leo spoke with the Sentinel to tell her that he would get Butch in contact with a few friends of his to help him set up in the city and then catch up with the Pride on their way back to trading post.
The Sentinel had initially wanted to enter the city herself and see his home and meet his friends to satisfy the burning curiosity she still had in relation to her lover. But, she reluctantly agreed that it wasn't a priority and that a large group of armed and armored soldiers might not even be permitted into the settlement.
Leo and Butch then broke off from the group with a few waves goodbye and relieved sighs from the soldiers who had also been subject to Butch's unending questions. The group of soldiers moved off into the wasteland as the two turned towards the settlement; Leo waved to Stockholm from his overwatch position and the gates opened to permit their entry.
"Alright Butch, let's make this quick so I can get back to the others. I am going to introduce you to a friend of mine, she is a trustworthy person— don't try to hit on her or do anything weird. Got it?" Leo said looking over to Butch.
"Ya, ya, I got it goody two shoes— I'll be on my best behavior." He said with a dismissive wave as he looked around at the buildings and people shuffling through the snow. It was mid-morning and it was beginning to lightly snow so most of the town would be staying inside as much as they could to avoid freezing their asses off.
"…At least until I get set up, you know; soon enough I will start up my kickass gang and take over this dinky little town." Butch continued, causing Leo to slow his pace as he listened.
"You really want to start a gang out here, Butch?" Leo asked evenly, "even if it means killing to get what you want?"
Butch puffed out his chest. "Anyone or anything that stands in the way is just an obstacle, Decker— even if it's you I won't give up." He said confidently, not catching the changes in Leo's behavior.
"Alright then, I got a better place for you; come on, I can start you off exactly where you need to be." Leo directed him off to a side street away from the main road. Eventually they came to a large opening in the ground and Leo slowed a few feet away from it and pointed to it.
"You can see it from right on the edge there; check it out." He said, letting Butch run to the edge, excitedly, probably expecting to see a subterranean section of the city or a cool hideout for gangbangers and lowlifes— but all he was met with when he reached the edge was a horrendous smell and the sight of human waste, infested with small irritated animals and radroaches.
"Hey Decker what the fuck i—" His confused question was cut short when he felt Leo's hand firmly grip his forehead and crank his head back so that his gaze went abruptly towards the sky. His senses were then overcome with searing pain as Leo slipped a razor-sharp knife blade into the side of his neck. Butch didn't even have a chance to gasp out a word before Leo ripped the blade forward; severing all of the arteries and veins in his neck along with his trachea and esophagus.
The blood continued to spurt out of the arteries of his neck, into the open air above the pit, as he felt Leo wipe the bloodied blade on his jumpsuit to clean it. Then he heard Leo's emotionless voice in his ear.
"Sorry, Butch, you're a liability." Butch tried to respond but only managed to produce a wheezing sound from his severed trachea before he felt Leo's hand release his head; letting the deadweight of his body tip forward, over the edge, falling into the pit below.
The would be gang leader landed on his back with a wet thud at the bottom, scaring the radroaches and causing them to scurry away from the unknown falling object momentarily. The snow started to fall faster as the radroaches recovered from their initial skittishness and surrounded the fading young man. Leo stood above him on the ledge and watched the life continue to leave his eyes, cold and quiet as a stone in his vigil as the snow fell from the sky above them.
Butch didn't feel the small mutated creatures starting to rip apart his jumpsuit and the flesh beneath. All he could register in his dampening senses was the brilliantly white snow, quietly falling down around him. 'Snow looks so much different in person.' He thought to himself, strangely at ease.
He knew it had been a childish dream— a foolish hope. It had cost him everything; friends, family, and now even his life— but it made him who he was. In a way he was glad that his dream would die this way; he was glad he didn't have to live long enough to see himself give up, he was glad that he could remain who he was even to his dying moments.
His vision and mind faded with one final thought; the hope and dream that he had held so close since he was just a child, talking about the future with his closest pals. With the last of his strength he let out his final battlecry, a hoarse whisper from smiling lips.
"Tunnel Snakes Rule."
—
October 6th, 2274
Vault 101: Lower Levels
The air in the room was humid and stuffy, but it didn't stop the two youths from exchanging fervent blows. They stood on nearly equal ground as fighters at the moment; they were both tired, bruised and bleeding. Butch had been the one to pick the fight again and Mj had been the one to answer with gusto.
In years past Mj hadn't been much of a match for the gang leader, who had hit an early growth spurt and used his size to his advantage. However with Officer Gomez's combatives lessons and a growth spurt of his own, Mj was finally able to match the bully and would soon surpass him in the coming years.
With one final and exhausted right cross, Butch put the other 16 year old on his ass. He laughed and relished in his hard-won victory, throwing his hands above his head with a yell, but his preemptive celebration was cut short by Mj's right foot sweeping his legs from under him and landing him roughly on his back with a grunt as the wind was knocked out of him.
"Trying to celebrate a little to early there, bud." Mj said, slinking over to the nearby wall to sit and lean against the cool metal. Once Butch was able to breath again he limped over and plopped down next to his rival and said with a laugh; "Guess this time it's a tie."
The young delinquent lit up a cigarette with shaking hands and after a moment of thought, offered one to the other boy. Mj raised an eyebrow at the unprecedented gesture but, shrugged and accepted.
"Not exactly an olive branch but…Thanks." He said after exhaling the smoke of his initial draw. Butch gave a half-smile in return, put the pack away and leaned his head against the wall while they silently filled the room with smoke and felt their injuries begin to throb as their adrenaline subsided.
It was Butch who broke the silence; "You know you might just have a knack for fighting, Decker. If you ever decided to drop the goody-two shoes act, I might let you join the Tunnel Snakes."
Mj laughed, "what do you mean 'goody two shoes act'?" he asked in return. Butch took another draw on the cancer stick before responding.
"I mean it ain't who you really are; anyone with half a brain can see that. If you really were, then you wouldn't be down here with me right now. You woulda blown me off and reported me to the teachers or security, but instead you sacked up and fought. Whether that makes you stupid or brave is up for debate but, it doesn't make you a goody two shoes like the rest of those sheep."
Mj let the strangely perceptive statement bounce around his head, smiling at the seeming praise that was attached to it. Butch had never been one to offer praise lightly.
"Well maybe you are right that I'm not like the rest, but I ain't a tunnel snake; that's just not who I am." He said, as he took another draw of his cigarette. "What about you? you ever think about calming down for a minute and joining the rest of us?"
"Fuck no. I'm a Tunnel Snake to the bone— even if it means we are always at each other's throats and butting heads. I won't change for anybody or anything because thats the only way I want to live, standing and fighting for what I believe in— no matter what." Butch turned his head towards Mj and smiled brightly; his face peppered with various cuts and bruises from their fighting— just like the other boy's. "Don't you go changing either Decker, keep fighting for what you believe in; no matter what happens, never give up on being you."
Mj smiled in return and responded in an amused tone to his smiling rival, "If things went your way, we would probably end up as two old farts, smacking each other with our canes and tossing prune juice at each other across the cafeteria."
Both boys burst out laughing at the ridiculous image of a future such as that, until their eyes started watering and their bellies ached. When their laughter gradually died out, a comfortable silence once again fell between them as they finished their cigarettes.
"It probably won't end up like that…but that doesn't sound half bad…" Butch said with an almost wistful smile, turning his eyes back to the ceiling and leaning his head against the metal. They both knew that soon enough they would be at each other's throats again; but for now they chose to enjoy this moment— smoking, laughing, and talking about the future.
—
Leo smiled under his mask at the fond memory that Butch's final smile had stirred in him.
"I guess, it didn't end up like that…but I don't think that would have been half bad either, Butch." The young man said quietly, standing above the body of his former rival.
He stood and watched long enough to make sure the radroaches ate all identifying features on the body before turning and moving silently through the empty alleyways and streets. Soon enough there would be almost nothing remaining of the body and the entire pile of waste would be covered in snow and once spring rolled around— would be processed and repurposed as fertilizer for the agricultural needs of the settlement. It was an extremely effective system he had come up with and helped build and implement by digging and constructing a sewage system throughout the growing city.
Any evidence that the vault dweller that had accompanied him, had ever been in the city was only in a few people's peripheral memories. Memories that would be categorized as unimportant and slowly fade away, forgotten or over shadowed by more important things. The Lone Wanderer had once again snuffed out a life that he would rather not have to keep the Capital Wasteland safe from the threat it presented.
No one would know or even care, except for Sarah and himself. He had done this countless times and would continue to do the same because, like Butch Deloria, he would always stay true to who he was and accomplish his goals— no matter the obstacle. So the young man shuffled off through the snow to catch up to his lover and fellow soldiers to continue pursuing his own hopes and dreams.
—
The heavy snow covered most of the notable features that Leo typically used to navigate the wasteland so he had to rely on a compass to give him a heading to hold but, it wasn't long before he saw the looming shape of the Super Duper Mart through the falling snow.
It had taken most of the day to get to the trading post so he decided to enter through the new Brotherhood entrance in the rear. Before he came in sight of the armed guards he removed his mask and pulled off his hood so that he wouldn't put them on edge by having a masked man emerge through the near white-out.
He pulled on a knitted cap to keep his ears and head warm but felt the sharp bite of the cold turning his nose and cheeks pink. The guards initially aimed their weapons towards him when they saw him approach but once the saw the coat and the insignia on his chest, and obviously the rank on his shoulders, they saluted and greeted him in a friendly manner.
He returned the salute and spoke to them for a minute after hitting the switch to call the industrial elevator in the loading bay to ascend so that he could ride it down.
"Hey, by the way," Leo said as a thought occurred to him. "Are your guys' armor built to operate in conditions like this?"
One knight responded cheerfully, "Oh hell ya, sir. These newest models were recently completed after a team came across some T-51's that were built to deploy up in the Battle of Anchorage during the war; Brotherhood eggheads reverse engineered the modifications and added a few other cool upgrades to the T-45's to make a new model called T-60's— thats what these are."
The other knight added to his comrade's statement, "The Lyons' Pride got the first models to be put into the field and they work live a dream; better armored, moves smoother, and quieter. You should consider getting one yourself, sir— moving and operating in weather like this is a breeze."
Leo looked down at his damp boots and pants and let out a light laugh as he wiggled his toes to make sure they were still somewhat dry; Despite all of the augmentations done to his body and his higher tolerance for being uncomfortable he couldn't help but agree. He had gotten surprisingly tired from having to move through the heavy snow for a long period of time and along with the added discomfort of walking around in moist boots made the choice to finally ask for a set of power armor easier. Not to mention that although he had the coat, his legs and hands were still in simple pants since he had not packed his thermal underwear when he left his home in Megaton so long ago.
"I suppose that would be a very good idea." He said with a laugh. The lift arrived and he said goodbye to the two sentries and stepped onto the lift and closed the door, riding it down to the basement warehouse of the Super Duper Mart building. Upon stepping off Leo was met with more than a few greetings from the group of soldiers who were in the midst of a host of activities as per usual; lying back on their cots, reading, working on weapons, sleeping, talking, or working on their armor that stood nearby— no drinking or sparring matches as of yet.
There were also two armored vehicles parked against the side of the large open room; although the lift could only fit one vehicle at a time the room they were in could accommodate more that 8-10 comfortably if need be. He had a feeling that they would hold back on using those until they had patrolled the local area enough to have a good idea of places they could get stuck or damaged; Leo made a note to himself to let the drivers know of the literal area called "Minefield" that was pretty far to north— they probably wouldn't go there anytime soon but they would happen upon it eventually and he preferred no one got hurt and no vehicles got damaged.
Leo set his pack and rifle down on an empty cot and started looking around the room for the blonde leader of the group; Not finding her in the large room, he entered the handful of offices set off to the side and found the woman he was looking for.
Sarah was in the middle of cleaning her dismantled laser rifle when he walked in, prompting her to look up and greet him with a warm smile. "Well look who finally decided to stumble in from the cold." She said playfully as he walked over and gave her a kiss making her stomach flutter with brief excitement and happiness.
"Cold is right. Snow is coming down pretty hard out there and I forgot to pack my mittens and snow shoes." He responded pulling up a chair next to her.
"Wouldn't have that problem if you had taken me up on my offer of a nifty set of power armor." She teased.
He picked up a piece of the rifle and started cleaning it as he responded. "That is actually what I came to talk to you about."
Sarah threw her hands up in the air, triumphantly. "Finally! I never thought you were going to give in to the dark side and try out some of our power armor. You always insist on going into combat with barely any armor, makes me nearly have a heart attack thinking about if we ever got into a heavy firefight."
Michael laughed at her response; he had noticed early on that everyone in the Brotherhood had a hard-on for power armor and would very rarely go into the wasteland without it. This was a sentiment he had difficulty connecting with because of the more stealth-oriented way he liked to move and operate. He had a set of T-45 that he had pieced together but, it had always felt too conspicuous and clunky— good in certain situations and heavy battles or assaults but not for everyday operations.
"Ya I guess you won that battle, or at least trudging through the snow in a near whiteout for hours beat me down enough to let you swoop in for an easy kill." He shot back, finishing with cleaning the piece he had and then switching it for a dirty one.
"Well the important part is that I won." She said with a bright smile. "We are gonna head to the Citadel tomorrow and I can introduce you to the mechanics so they can adjust a T-60 to fit your body size— can't just hop into any suit with your fat ass."
"My ass isn't that big, you dick." He said, rolling his eyes and thinking of her comment about his rear end that same morning. She laughed and set the piece she had been working on next to the rest on the table and sat down in his lap. Starting to kiss playfully along his jawline to his neck.
"Yes it is, but I like it that way." She whispered before running her fingers through his hair. Meanwhile Michael was still trying, futilely, to finish cleaning the piece he had in his hands.
"You know that that door isn't locked, so literally anyone could come in, right?" Michael said as he felt himself getting more and more aroused. She hummed in acknowledgement that he was right but continued anyway after whispering into his ear. "I know but, I just can't help myself…and if we are quiet no one will know."
"Sarah…" He started, fighting a losing internal battle.
He felt her unbuckle his belt and locked gazes with her brilliantly blue eyes filled with a playful hunger and lost the battle tremendously. He tossed the piece he had been cleaning onto the table, smiled.
"Fuck it."
"Duh, that's kind of the point."
—
Leo stepped into the tracks of crushed down snow behind a few of the power armored soldiers in the lead of the patrol and breathed in the bitterly cold air as he took in the world of white around him. He felt the breeze biting at his bare nose and cheeks again since he had decided to go without his mask for the day. He had found himself wanting to wear it less and less as of late. His main—logical— reason for wearing it had been to keep himself anonymous while operating as the Lone Wanderer or drawing attention to himself, but when he was with the Brotherhood most of the focus was generally on the large armored soldiers with big guns. Generally people didn't notice that he was as tall as most of the soldiers in their armor. He felt much more at ease.
It was about noon and the sun was poking through the scattered clouds as they approached the main gate of the Citadel. They had traveled in a squad of about 10 soldiers, including Sentinel Lyons and Leo, due to the fact that the Pride was needed to garrison the new outpost to conduct patrols in the unknown areas of the open wasteland. Although Leo had given them a lot of information they always confirmed everything first hand. The Brotherhood also aimed to begin establishing friendly relationships with the surrounding settlements.
They entered through the gates and Leo was surprised to find that most of the snow that had fallen in the open courtyard/training area had been shoved into a semi large hill that the squires were currently using to sled down and play on. He couldn't help but smile at the innocent actions.
Ever since he had entered the Brotherhood he had noted that even the children were part of the, sometimes stifling, military structure of the organization and that often kept them from getting to simply let loose and have fun like children should be able to. His attention was drawn to one boy specifically who he had gotten to know better than most because of the young boy's adoration of him as the Lone Wanderer and his relationship with Sarah.
When the group of soldiers came close to the hill the young boy he had been looking at, stood and firmly called the children to attention and saluted Sentinel Lyons.
"Good afternoon, Sar—…um, Sentinel." He said, catching himself before almost calling his adoptive sister by name in public— something which some higher-ups would deem inappropriate because of the vast difference in rank. Personally, Leo thought a rule like that applied so strictly to children was a load a brahmin shit but, he wasn't in a place to change things like that yet. And as much as he knew Sarah hated it as well, she wasn't in a place to change that either; especially in the case of young Squire Maxson. Due to his unique bloodline he was under more scrutiny than most.
"Good afternoon, Squire Maxson." She said, while responding with a salute in return, then adding with a small smile creeping onto her face that Leo could make out from his place standing next to her; "Carry on with your…cold weather training…"
The squires all smiled and a few quietly stifled giggles before responding— in unison— with a resounding, "Yes, ma'am!"
After that most of them went back to playing in the snow and the soldiers that had accompanied the Sentinel and Leo made their way inside. The Sentinel and Paladin were about to follow the others inside the building when Squire Maxson came skidding to a halt and stood ramrod straight in front of the two soldiers with eyes practically overflowing with burning curiosity.
"Ma'am, permission to inquire about the mission to the vault that you just returned from, in pursuit of the passage written in the great Codex: "Through discourse, we gain the strength of our Brothers' minds." The young boy stated, once again quoting the organization's founding doctrine that he must have memorized and quoted at least a hundred times since Leo had known him.
The two soldiers exchanged a look and smiled. "Of course, Squire. I was just going to show Paladin Decker to the Armor bay to get sized and issued a suit of T-60 power armor; would you like to act in my stead and show him the way while you ask him about the mission?" At her words the young boy beamed and nearly jumped up and down with excitement.
"Yes, ma'am!"
Sarah let out a light laugh, "Alright then, have fun Arthur." Then looking back to Leo; "Once you get your armor, come meet me in my office."
"Yes ma'am." Leo said with a sly wink and a smile before they went separate ways and the young squire starting his onslaught of questions.
"You came from that vault right?What was it like to grow up in a vault? What was the food like? What about the people? What about the bathrooms? Are they different than ours?" And on and on the questions came as they made their way across the freshly snow-shoveled ground.
Leo let out a laugh and ruffled the young boy's hair. "Slow down Arthur, you have to give me a chance to answer a question before you ask the next one."
The boy smiled and nodded before slowly beginning to ask questions and waiting for the answer. Sarah watched until the two finally disappeared into the building with Leo miming exaggeratedly animated movements as he answered Arthur's questions.
"Just what kind of story is he telling to him?" Sarah asked, laughing to herself quietly at the way Leo lit up everytime he talked to Arthur. She felt a familiar warmth pool in her chest.
"He's really gonna make a great father one day." She said, more quietly to herself, before turning and walking towards another door that would lead to the Lyons' Den. It was amazing how fast Arthur had warmed up to Leo; usually it took a while for him to trust new people and everyone always insisted on being stiff and formal with the young boy because of the fact that he was most likely destined to become High Elder one day— at least thats what everyone expected of him. He was the last living member of the Maxson family line which dated back to the original founder of the Brotherhood of Steel, Roger Maxson.
It often broke Sarah's heart that Arthur didn't get to grow up without the immense weight of the Maxson name hanging over him; her and her father constantly had to be on the lookout for would-be manipulators surrounding Arthur and grooming him to become a puppet leader to satisfy their hunger for power. Sarah had grown up with a slightly similar pressure due to her father's position; she knew everyone expected her to take on the role of High Elder one day— even her father expected it but, she wasn't so sure she wanted to live a life burdened by that much responsibility.
She had see the effects on her father, over the years he became more stoic and stiff; barely ever able to just relax because of all the eyes constantly on him— looking for a chink in the armor. His views of wanting to defend and protect the citizens of the Capital Wasteland had made him a considerable amount of enemies within the Brotherhood leadership and while nothing had happened as of yet, she knew it was only a matter of time before they decided to act in an overt way.
She shook her head slightly to banish such gloomy thoughts as she approached her door and noticed the light was on.
'Who exactly is hanging out in my room while I'm not here?' She thought to herself, slightly annoyed at the invasion of privacy.
She quickly opened the door and walked in only to stop with surprise when she was greeted with the sight of her father sitting at her desk, reading from a file. After hesitating for a second she shut the door behind her and walked towards the desk but, before she could say anything her father spoke.
"Welcome back, Sarah." His words were filled with some kind of tension and anger that she knew didn't bode well. "I have been doing some interesting reading while you have been gone." He said, still reading out of the folder without looking up at her. She looked at his chosen reading material and noticed it was marked with her name and was adorned with the typical Brotherhood seal, except instead of the gears or a lion in the center it had a snake wrapped around the sword— meant to resemble the Rod of Asclepius. The symbol of the medical command of the Brotherhood of steel.
She immediately felt her stomach drop when she realized that he was holding her personal medical file.
"How did you get that?" She asked quietly.
"That doesn't matter, what matters is that I have seen the most recent entries and I have a question." He said, the anger in his voice barely being held back. Sarah had a slight feeling of deja vu. She knew what he was going to say next and she wasn't sure how to answer him.
"What's his name?"
.