"Tell me, Muse, of the man of many devices,
Who wandered far and wide after he had sacked Troy's sacred city,
And saw the towns of many men and knew their mind."
-Homer, The Odyssey
Slash and burn: Method of agriculture in which existing vegetation is cut down and burned off before new seeds are sown.
Stars took the form of celestial decorations, twinkling in the cloudless sky. Crickets fiddled their wings, creating a tune for flashing lightning bugs. Crops were given time to rest without eager claws scrubbing at their roots. The streets were barren of settlers meandering through their day.
Sanctuary was asleep.
Liera's hopelessness was reduced to small specs of burnt existence. Its ashes popped under fire, filling the air with a peaty scent. She inhaled, and it became her.
"It might not be a burn card…but I hope whoever's listening hears me anyway."
She spent her days surrounded by people she knew, people who knew her. On Earth, she remained an eclectic outlander, shipwrecked in a sea of acquaintances and friendships.
To look at someone and think that she'd known them for years, and remember the things they'd been through; when they first met…That feeling was absent, much like her identity.
It was always "Pilot," or "Knight," nowadays. She felt nameless. Out of place. The square peg being forced in Earth's round hole.
"Might need another analogy."
Her finger pressed against the screen of her wrist computer, swiping through images of distant ties:
Her and Tai. Akane and Sage. Ryan and Chris. Liam and Rex. The Marauders together on Graduation Day.
Still, the faces of former everyday-encounters held the least amount of nostalgia. It was the face she never paid much attention to that haunted her the most.
Smooth, terracotta skin with icy sapphires for eyes. Plush lips, not worn and cracked. Thick, black hair that was braided with loose strands slipping from the knots, having one side shaved shorter than the other.
"Pilot?"
Liera sniffed, "Yeah?"
"You are in distress."
She looked up to the walls of Nora's house, solid in some parts, patchworked in others. Sanctuary as a whole was a resuscitated corpse; twitching with spasms, yet missing an integral part of being alive.
She had a lot more in common with the place than she thought.
"Just seeing myself without all these enhancements…I wish I could go back. Tell younger me to not be so stupid."
"Growth is a significant part of life."
"I know..." Liera sighed, "But the slash and burn of it all is getting old."
The camera roll spun as she swiped it with more vigor. It finally landed on a chrome-flushed image of Liera and EV in the Titan Bay.
"Remember the day I plugged your core in?" She smiled, "Watching you wake up for the first time, and being with you while you learned about the world…It made me excited to grow alongside you."
"We've had quite the journey, Pilot."
"Sure have." She brushed her hair back, "And to think, we're just getting started…"
Jack's face popped up, just below the time stamp in the upper left-hand corner.
"Having all these strangers call me Sister…And being expected to call them Brother? That title's reserved for him…"
She pressed play on the Pilot's Log, smiling fondly at her family's kitchen.
Liera's helmet sat on the table, aimed at the two siblings from a distance.
...
"First deployments tomorrow. You excited?"
Liera looked down, tugging at her sleeve, "Yeah."
"Hey," Jack punched her shoulder, "Stop worrying."
"I'm not."
"Yes you are." He pulled a chair out for her.
She sat next to him, and folded her arms on her lap.
"Remember when that kid was messing with you during your first year in the Academy?" He asked.
"Tch…Which one?"
"The really bad one. What was his name…Started with an M…"
"Matt Frank?"
"Yeah, that little shit."
Liera grinned, "You called his mom and told her what was going on. Then you told me you would've kicked his ass if he wasn't 12."
"Right, and remember when the counselor pulled us in, wondering why your 16-year-old brother was taking care of you?"
"Uh-huh. Where was dad deployed again?"
"Eh, who knows?" Jack leaned on his elbow, "Point is, I've always had your back. And when we head out tomorrow, and you're mopping the floor with IMC? I'll be right there with you – on the ground, cheering you on…Probably lobbing grenades, but still, cheering."
Her lip quivered, and she inhaled sharply through her nose.
"Thanks, Coop."
He hugged her, and patted her back.
"Don't mention it…Just make sure EV doesn't step on me."
...
The mistake of revisiting the memory delivered swift consequences. Liera muffled her sobbing with her arm, a crushing wave of guilt flooding her chest. Jack did always have her back. And the one time he needed her most, she was nowhere to be found.
The only thing in this world she wanted was to hear from her family. From anyone. Just to know she wasn't alone - wasn't forgotten.
"I miss them so much…" Her words were constricted, held in limbo by a weight dropped to her core.
A rustle in the tall grass pulled her attention forward, and a cluster of footsteps clicked on the sidewalk. A furry figure with long, pointy ears cocked its head on the other side of the fire. Its tongue dangled from its snout, and its huge, amber eyes glowed with orange reflection.
Liera wiped her eyes with her sleeve, leaning to the side to get a better view.
The dog was much bigger than the jackals back home, and its coat was thicker. It was brown and black in color, its tail wagging playfully above its hind legs.
"What's up, buddy?" Liera held her hand out, rubbing her fingers together, "What's your name?"
Its ears went flat as it rounded the fire pit, pushing its head against her palm.
"Cuddly thing, aren't you…"
She scratched behind its ears and on the side of its head, giggling as its eyes fluttered in pleasure. It rolled on his back, and she rubbed its belly.
"Male, from the looks of it."
She lifted the tags on his collar, a hammered piece of metal with "Dogmeat," scratched on it.
"Huh, that's a little morbid." She frowned, "I hope they don't eat you."
Dogmeat flipped on his belly, his front legs pointed at her as they laid in the dirt. Bits of grass clung to his coat, and he stood to shake them off. He inched towards her, putting a giant paw on her shoulder before licking her face.
"Ugh-Come on-"
She pushed at his haunches, surprised by how strong he was.
"Wouldn't want to mess with you…" She used her cybernetic arm to put some distance between them.
He whimpered.
"I know, I cheated."
Dogmeat gave her a low bark, and jumped backwards.
"What are you doing?"
He ran in a circle, and dashed away before turning to her again, barking from across the street. His chest fell to the road, his tail raised high in the air. He barked again, his ears shooting from his head.
"Does he want me to follow him?"
EV contemplated the question before answering, "It appears so."
Liera wasn't sure if she was permitted to move freely around the settlement, and didn't want to cause any issues… but everything seemed quiet enough to walk around without suspicion. She crossed the desolate road to her new canine companion.
"What do you want to show me, boy?"
Dogmeat guided her to the slab of cement Sturges called his workshop, just across the way from the fire. An old woman slouched in a rocking chair, her pink slippers highlighted by the lantern in the corner. The curved handle rattled in her hand, and she lifted the caged flame to her face.
She wore a blue headscarf with large, metal circles for earrings. Her eyes were gray and cloudy, bloodshot around the pupils. Her skin was wrinkled, and her teeth were tinged yellow behind thin lips that smiled.
"This your pup?" Liera blurted, nerves frayed.
"You can't own a free spirit like that. He led you to me 'cause he knew you needed my help." Her accent matched the barkeep at Bunker Hill, thick and twangy, "Come here, let me have a look at you."
Liera hesitated like a mouse approaching a trap. She gulped and inched forward, unwillingly closing the gap between her and the bossy woman. She paused on the edge of the open porch, brows pinched, glaring at the dog.
"I said closer, kid. I'm old." The woman beckoned her, leaving her arm extended.
It shook in the flickering light, barely able to remain suspended. Liera wasn't sure what she was reaching for. She narrowed her eyes, and angled her chin to keep her implants facing the road.
But the woman moved with a sudden quickness, and cupped her chin in her pruned hand.
"Hey-"
She rotated Liera's head by the grip on her jaw, inspecting the silver slivers emblazoned on her skull.
"You're not what I expected Dogmeat would find. But oh, so much better." The old woman released her.
Liera rubbed the lines of her face, two tight fingerprints looming on her flesh. The woman rocked back and forth.
"This world…It's not yours. But here you are…" Her voice was raspy, like she smoked too many cigarettes, "You a hero, girl. Comin' here, helpin' us."
Liera had never met this woman before, but she spoke as if she knew of the orders she was instructed to carry out.
"Just doing my job." She mumbled.
"Oh, I like you." She patted her chest as she coughed, "You're just what the Commonwealth needs. And I hope your heart stays true. You need to stay strong. Like you been. 'Cause you're gonna walk a long, hard road…I saw it."
She came off as more than cryptic. She was almost as delusional as Brandis, just with an otherworldly presence.
"Saw it?'"
"It's the chems, kid. They give ole Mama Murphy the 'Sight.' Been that way for as long as I can remember." She lifted a pale hand to the sky, "I can see a bit of what was, and what will be. And even what is, right now."
Liera huffed, crossing her arms, "And just what else do you 'see?'"
"You're tied to this place, kid. Your energy." She reached out for Liera's arm, and gripped her cybernetic arm, "Your mother."
Her eyes widened, and her jaw hung on a hinge.
She looked to her arm, a device that came to life because of Evelyn's blueprints. Evelyn, who was born on Earth.
"You're looking for a man. He can help you, but he's somewhere...deep...and dark. Surrounded by folks with nothin' but cruel intentions." Her voice shuddered, "There's...An echo...Something in the past that can help you."
She pointed at Liera's pocket that held the holotape, "You're on the right path. He's the one. He wears all the pain he's caused like a shield."
She started hacking, holding her chest, and Liera snapped out of her trance.
"Are you okay?" She put a hand on Murphy's back, pushing her upright, "Do you need me to get help?"
"No, I'm fine…The two of us been jawwin' long enough." She pointed to the abyss, "Vault 111 is the next step in your journey, kid. You've got a job to do…"
Liera took the lantern from Murphy's grip as she started to drift off. She returned it to the ground, Dogmeat looking up at her eagerly.
Her head was spinning, trying to sort through the encounter. Dogmeat nipped at her heels, and she swatted him away.
"What are you-"
He took off, stopping after a short distance to see if she was following.
"Guess there's someone listening after all."
…
Danse and Preston had talked for hours. They were alone on the second floor of the Common House. It was flat with the walls knocked out, converted into a recreational area. They sat at either end of a table, a checkers board in the middle. It probably wasn't the best game for two strategic soldiers to play, but it lessened the blow when the inevitable 'question-and-answer' session about Liera and EV came and went.
"When one of my scouts reported she saw something fall from the sky, I didn't believe her." Preston picked up a checker, and moved it to a spot that put Danse on the defense, "We went to investigate near Walden Pond, and found nothing but a crater. I thought someone dropped a mini-nuke or something, so we left it alone and called it a day…"
Preston swallowed hard, his chin meeting his scarf as he lowered his head, "A lot of things are coming together, now."
Danse grunted, "Speak for yourself…"
"Some of the pre-war Ghouls…" Preston leaned back, not focusing on their game anymore, "Most of them have shit memories, but the ones that remember things? They talk about some crazy stuff. Ships the size of floating cities. Other planets near ours, and others farther away. Stuff that makes no one believe anything that comes out their mouths."
Danse tensed, "That's because they shouldn't be saying anything…They should be put out of their misery."
"No offense, Paladin, but you don't know what the hell you're talking about."
"After everything I've just told you, offending me should be the least of your worries right now."
"And after what I just told you, projecting your racism should be the least of your worries." Preston crossed his arms, "The Brotherhood's all about dwelling in the past, right? Uncovering our history, lost technology, all that. You'd turn your back on Ghouls that have been alive since before the war, but a pretty little Vault Dweller comes stumbling by and then you want to hear what she has to say?"
Danse pursed his lips, biting back more slurs fueled by hatred.
"The Ghouls I've talked to have been more forthcoming than her, by miles. I used to think all of it was made up. But when I signed on with the Minutemen under Ezra Hollis's company, I started traveling the Commonwealth more and more, lending the people a hand. I heard the same stories from the Ghouls back home, all over. To me, there wasn't any way they could all be crazy, with the exact same stories. When I met old General Becker, he just confirmed my beliefs."
"The General before you?"
"…Yeah, we'll go with that." His lips pursed, "Anyway, he told me a story about a ship that came through back in '59, three years after I was born. The way he described it, it was nothing like anyone had ever seen…Told me the Ghouls weren't crazy, and there was some truth to all their tales of space science and other planets."
"He said a ship rolled through here…28 years ago?"
"According to Becker, yeah. That's all he had to say about it. I'd say you could ask him, but…" He hesitated, as if speaking of it pained him, "Well, you know what happened."
"I do." Danse sighed, "I'm sorry."
"I guess I have a history with not believing people and then being proven wrong…" His eyes flicked to Danse, "And I really hope you prove me wrong…Especially now that we're faced with the Institute, and some galaxy-conquering army…"
"Plan on it." Danse snickered, "We're not sure how the Institute and the IMC are connected yet. Following our most recent lead is the other reason we came here."
"Is that so?"
"It revolves around Nora and the Vault." Danse gripped his chin, "She's hiding something, and I want to know what."
Preston put his hat on the table, "She's about as dishonest as they come. Promised to help me rebuild the Minutemen, and then left us after Maxson presented her with a better…deal."
"She's not my most favorite person in the world, either. Liera and I have protected Rhys and Haylen by keeping our investigation to ourselves…But if we're heading out tomorrow, we need in that Vault tonight."
"Anything that'll get dirt on Nora is good on my account. Do what you need to do." Preston rubbed his cheek, nulling a yawn, "It's getting late. Better get moving if you're heading out."
Danse pushed himself upright, eyes locked on the stairs leading to the lowest level of the Common House, "I'll brief the others tomorrow before our deployment."
"Night, Paladin. Good talk."
"Good night, General…" Danse mumbled, ducking to avoid hitting his head as he stepped down the stairs.
He left the house and walked along the crooked sidewalk, eager to rejoin his team and tell them of the good news. He checked his watch, not realizing how long he'd been gone.
"10:07…We were talking for 3 hours?"
A freshly stomped-out fire marked the entrance to Nora's house. Rhys and Haylen rolled in their sleeping bags, tossing with static crinkles. Danse stood in the doorway, confused by the two-person headcount.
He'd checked the other rooms, but Liera was nowhere to be found.
"Where did she go?"
A dog's bark rolled down the hill and into a broken window. A blue light shifted in the darkness in the woods behind the house. Two orange bursts flared from underneath, just as Liera's jump kit would.
"…Oh."
…
The stars were aligned, the universe steering her along the right path. There were flowers growing along a brook, stark white against the ink of night. The moon highlighted their figures, giving them a phantom glow. A calm breeze slipped between the bare branches of the desolate forest, clanking them together in a blend of ash and petals. The sponged earth muted her footsteps, but Liera's mind wouldn't be silenced so easily.
"You think what that guy said at Bunker Hill had any merit? About the Brotherhood and their…mentality?"
"I have not encountered a race outside of the human species that the Brotherhood has spoken fondly of. Their keen sense of honor and duty could be interpreted as elitism. And, they do in fact have Power Armor. Their views on other countries are lost upon me, so I cannot form a proper opinion on the claims of xenophobia. Conclusion: Yes, they appear to hold some merit."
Liera frowned, "Do you think we're fighting for the bad guys?"
"We are fighting for the Frontier Militia, the apparent 'good guys,' in the Frontier War."
"No, I mean the Brotherhood…"
"Your assimilation into the Brotherhood of Steel has yielded valuable results in regard to upholding Operation: Wasteland Order. We cannot afford to lose sight of the larger issue at hand."
She squinted, "That doesn't answer my question."
"What I am suggesting is that even if the Brotherhood is viewed poorly upon by the rest of the Commonwealth, they are the most productive ally to have during our mission. Follow-Up: Morality of Brotherhood of Steel is irrelevant."
"EV, we can't protect them from the IMC if we can't protect them from themselves."
"Even that statement is reminiscent of Elder Maxson's own sentiments."
Liera decided to drop the conversation.
A flock of birds flew from their perch, startled by Dogmeat's presence. She gave them a weary glance.
"Spying little fucks…"
The hill tapered off, its shallow incline bending to the left. They were greeted by a round plate dug deep into the ground. White and blue, its paint was scraped away in splotches across the surface. The platform in the center was small, but the structure itself matched EV in length.
"Vault 111," was marked on either side, creating a full circle with a title.
"Know how to open it?"
EV's sonar pulse penetrated the earth, scaling so far down that Liera's visor lost track of it. An orange light trailed to a shed-sized building next to her.
"Pilot, it appears the elevator's control mechanism is located inside the outpost. Please be advised, it is paired with an alert system. Required data knife override to disable."
A ramp connected to the open doorway, a skeleton in old Vault-Tec branded clothing sprawled at the peak.
"Well, that's reassuring…"
She stepped over the body leading into the control room with care, not wanting to disturb the dead any more than she had to.
Dogmeat started barking.
Her neck snapped to the hill, and a red mess of infrared signatures pooled on the other side.
"Busted-"
She turned her flashlight off, and hit her cloak. Dogmeat ran to the person on approach, tackling them. His own heat signatures moved back and forth, almost violently. The person struggled to get him off.
Liera skulked around the corner, her rifle pointed forward and her knees at a bend. She hunted the pinned visitor.
"Hey-pffft-Dogmeat-" The person groaned under his weight, "You've gotten big, boy-"
Liera shot the two a glare, unbeknownst to them.
She lowered her weapon at her side and clicked the flashlight on again.
Dogmeat licked Danse's face repeatedly as he struggled to get him off.
"It seems you're well acquainted with my new friend." Using both her hands, she pulled him to his feet, stumbling backwards.
"What the hell are you doing up here, all alone?"
"I'm not alone…Well, wasn't." Liera nodded to Dogmeat.
He trotted down the hill, disappearing in the shadows leading back to Sanctuary. She couldn't help but feel a tad disappointed, having grown fond of him. He was a cute pup.
"And…" She continued, "An underground bunker is kind of hard to hide from EV's scanners. Didn't take much for us to find it."
"It's dangerous. And you're still sick."
Liera shrugged with her Hemlok, "I came prepared."
"You can't shoot rad poisoning…" He continued to clean his face and fix his hair, following her back to the top of the hill, "You should have waited for me."
"You can only keep a girl like me waiting for so long…" She snickered, pointing her visor over her shoulder, "I take it everything went well?"
"It, uh, yes. It did."
"Glad to hear."
The control hub was white and dirtied, the innermost wall stained red with rust displaced from rain. Her flashlight was a single cone, disturbing the darkness with each turn.
"That's it?" He asked from outside, "No questions?"
"I've got enough on my mind right now." Liera studied a pedestal near the observation window, crowned with a red button.
"Is everything okay?" His voice came closer.
"No," She ran her fingers along the edges of a panel, setting her rifle down, "You remember that guy that sat next to us at the bar at Bunker Hill?"
"The one in the leather jacket?"
She turned her head to find him leaning in the entryway, grimacing at the skeleton on the ground, "That's the one."
"Yes."
"Well, after you guys threw your little temper tantrum and left me alone with him, he started talking to me about things. Then he gave me this." She dug in her pocket, and pulled out the holotape, "He repeated Brandis, word-for-word: 'They're everywhere. Listening. Watching.'"
"So, let me get this straight. That guy repeated Brandis's ramblings verbatim and gave you a holotape?"
"Not just any holotape." Liera held it out, "This is another one of Nathan's logs."
Danse held it to his face, "'The Odyssey'... That was the ship mentioned in the Colony G21 recording, wasn't it?"
"Yeah. After G21 was abandoned, the colonists fled to the ship MacAllan 'stole' from Graves…"
"Did this mysterious character mention anything else?"
Liera shook her head, "Later."
"Save the bird talk for tomorrow. Keep him focused."
She bit back the information, wondering how pissed he was going to be.
"Okay, but we should really talk about-"
"Not now." She withdrew her knife, and started prying open the panel underneath the red button, "We need to listen to his tape before we go down there. He wanted me to have it for a reason."
An audible sigh left his chest. She felt bad for snapping at him.
"Can you imagine…Sitting at home, just another normal day. And then the sirens start blaring. People start running…" He frowned at the Vault, his arms crossed and his shoulders sulking.
Flashes of sprinting colonists clouded her thoughts. Families scattering. Evacuation horns oozing danger into the air.
"Being on the other side of those sirens isn't easy either, eh?"
"The other side?"
"It's one thing to be a scared civilian," She popped the cover off, "It's another to be a first responder – someone tasked with heeding the call. It's a strand of fear without a cure. Just ask my friend here."
Liera nodded to the skeleton before plugging her data knife's tip in a socket, letting EV get to work.
"Hadn't thought about that." He was quiet, "They definitely don't put it in the job description, do they?"
"Nope…" She broke her fixation on the data knife's scrolling letters and peaked at him.
Danse gazed at the stars, silent and thoughtful, "I've looked at them differently since I met you and EV. Before, they were just stars…Now, they're uncharted territory. Touchable."
"There's still so much out there we don't understand. Entire galaxies we have yet to explore." She slipped her blade out, and put it back in its holster, "There might even be other intelligent life."
He smirked, "Lucky for you, there weren't any aliens on Earth."
"Yeah. Debatable."
She hit the button on the console, and a heavy lock dropped underneath.
"Sounds like it's open…EV?"
"The central plate on top of the vault serves as an elevator."
"And did you organize the data from the holotape?"
"…Yes."
Liera opened her visor, and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Well, let's see what he has to say…"
"Commencing playback."
...
Heavy stomps rattled in the microphone.
"This sector gives me the creeps."
"I hear ya."
"You have no idea…" Nathan mumbled under his breath, "Not a surprise MacAllan came out here. Ghosts of the Titan Wars can really haunt your dreams."
"You know anything about him?"
"All I know is he mutinied against Graves when he stole the Odyssey 15 years ago." Nathan explained, "Big news back then. They called it 'MacAllan's Mutiny.'"
"That story is legendary."
The three soldiers around him talked in circles.
"Had a Sergeant in basic diss the IMC. They branded him a traitor and a terrorist...never saw him again."
"Turn your back on the IMC, and a bullet's coming your way."
"They're relentless against fugitives. You've gotta be one hell of an operative to stay off their radar, especially for as long as this MacAllan bloke."
"While we're on the topic…. Don't you lot find it strange how badly the military wants MacAllan? I doubt he has anything to offer 'em."
Nathan sighed, "He knows a lot more than us, I'll tell you that much."
"Yeah, rumor is he was Graves' XO. I heard he turned the entire crew against the Vice Admiral."
"Explains why Graves hates him so much. He's taking all this very personally."
"I don't blame him. A close colleague, someone you trust, someone you would die for completely betrays you? I'd say that makes it personal."
"I wouldn't want to be in his shoes right now. Not against the Vice Admiral. I can't even look Graves in the eye."
"Roger that."
A notification chimed, and the soldiers went quiet.
"Attention IMC ground forces. Incoming message from the IMSSentinel."
"Speak of the devil…" Nathan said.
"All personnel, this is Vice Admiral Graves. Our pursuit of the 1st Militia Fleet has produced surprising results. We have flushed the mutineer, MacAllan, from hiding. MacAllan is now the IMC's most wanted target in this sector. Blisk."
"MacAllan is a notoriously dangerous tactician. If he falls in with the terrorists, then they will gain a considerable advantage. We've picked up transmissions that suggest they will attempt to extract him from the northern plateau, near the wreckage of the IMSOdyssey; the very ship MacAllan stole from us."
"All ground forces: Your objective is to eliminate all Militia forces, and secure the site. Under cover of your fire, Blisk's capture team will attempt to locate MacAllan and take him into custody. Good luck, and see you soon. Graves out."
Sounds of flight blotted the recording, like they were in a dropship. A pair of footsteps got louder as they came closer.
"I am scanning the wreckage of the ship. Registered as the Odyssey, reported lost to mutiny under your command, Vice Admiral." Spyglass finished his report.
"I'm well aware of the history of the ship, and I know who's responsible for its present condition. What I want to know is how it got here." Graves said, a hatch screeching open afterwards, "It was only a matter of time…"
There was a temporary break in his commanding voice, as if he was saddened by conflict.
"Soldiers, get ready to move! Neutralize the terrorists and secure the site for salvage recovery!"
The sounds of boots hitting the ground and rattling gear drowned out any side conversations that followed.
"Listen up!" Blisk shouted, "Wipe out anyone and everyone who gets in your way. Let's take this ship back!"
...
Spyglass addressed them after a few minutes of gunfire, "Militia forces have penetrated the Odyssey."
"What the hell are they doing in there? Hiding?" Graves snickered, "Scan for electronic activity."
"Low level frequency only, Vice Admiral."
"Keep an eye on them, Spyglass. I want to know what they're up to."
"Lambda Squad 3, flank around the carrier! If you've got eyes on MacAllan or Bish, don't hesitate to take 'em out!"
Nathan cut him off, "Graves wants MacAllan alive."
"We'll do our best, sir, but if it's between MacAllan or one of our men, he's going down!"
...
A soldier tried to catch his breath, "That carrier is starting up!"
"This is how Hammond builds stuff," Nathan panted, "Built to last. You can beat it up, take it down, tear it apart, it'll still start right back up."
"That ship's a relic, the Colossus could run circles around that thing."
"Yeah but our Colossus is a lot thinner. These Andromeda-class ships are legendary...built like tanks."
"Do you think it was taken apart or did it just fall apart?"
The third soldier answered before Nathan could, "It seems like everyone from this carrier set up home here. Looks like they used the ship parts to build their housing."
"Home away from the war? What a coward's way out."
"I say we rig the self-destruct on the Odyssey and blow 'em all to hell!"
Nathan butted in, "You have a death wish or something? First, it's blowing up oil rigs, and now this? You'd wipe out all of us along with it."
"It's a small price to pay if it kills the Militia's best people."
"Vice Admiral," Spyglass began, "I'm detecting increased heat signatures in the Odyssey's central core."
"They're trying to spin her up. But she's half in the ground…"
"Damage to her stabilizers make flight operations impossible, sir."
"They're not trying to fly her…They're looting her. Blisk, flush the terrorists from the ship!"
"Aye-aye, Vice Admiral. So you're aware, the Odyssey just shook off an engine- not going to be much left to salvage." Blisk responded.
Spyglass cut in, "Vice Admiral, scans indicate the Militia still have a stable uplink with the Odyssey's CPU."
"They're extracting crucial information from her every second." Graves seemed like he was in a muted panic, "We have to secure the site immediately…Sever the Militia's connection, Blisk. Do whatever it takes."
"Rodger, Vice Admiral. Cover Team 4, move into the carrier's side entrance!"
...
Blisk was in a fury when his next transmission came through, "Sir, I'm in the ship's command center. There's no one here now, but it looks like MacAllan tapped into the ship's Archive!"
"Well, Mac, I guess you're with them now…" Graves went quiet before becoming enraged, "Blisk, return to base! We'll deal with MacAllan later!"
"Vice Admiral Graves, scans indicate that MacAllan may have escaped with classified data." Spyglass announced.
"MacAllan's got the plans for Demeter. If the Militia didn't trust him before, they will now…and if they're following the playbook, what they need next is in Angel City."
"I will alert all informants in Angel City to be on the lookout. What is he after, Vice Admiral?"
"It's not a what, Spyglass. It's a who…"
"Who do you think he's talking abo-"
Thundering footsteps pounded on a ceiling.
"Eyes up! We've got Militia Pilots on the ledges!" Nathan ordered.
"Contact!"
Gunfire ricocheted around.
"Shit, they're SRS!"
"Fall back! FALL-"Nathan choked, "Rifle Battalion, 10 o'clock!"
More gunfire followed.
"What kind of shot was that?! You just gave away our position!"
"I just saved your ass!" Nathan yelled.
"From what, the fumbling Grunts?! They had no idea we were here until you-"
"STOP ARGUING WITH ME AND GET TO THE EVAC!"
...
[Playing attached file]
I saw him. I fired a warning shot at his battalion before my squad was in formation.
My son…shot…at me.
After everything I've done to keep him out of the IMC, I forced him into the Militia.
I should have known better than to believe anyone could stay out of this war…You and I both should've.
Operation: Persephone is a go, and it sounds like you already know what to do…
Get Barker.
...
It was just them and the stars, their faces barely visible to each other. Liera shook her head, poking on the computer around her wrist.
"Did you know the Blacks had a son named Shaun?" She asked.
"Nora spoke of him frequently. She believes the Institute has him…It's what she's been tracking since she escaped the Vault. She said he was one year old when they were put into cryosleep."
"But Nathan just indirectly told us his son was part of the fucking Militia, meaning he had to have been at least 18. Hell, we've probably ran into him, if he didn't die."
EV interrupted them, "I am still processing the information we have gathered from the holotape. It is unlikely that Nora is lying about the child's age, judging by the crib located in her abandoned household. There was only one photograph of a single child, indicating she only gave birth to one offspring. It is possible Nathan had another child to a different woman. There are too many variables to form a conclusive hypothesis. However, there is a new discovery that we must pay attention to."
A digital timeline projected from the attachment on Liera's helmet with three titles lit up in red, "We have located these holotapes in sequential order of the Demeter Campaign:
Holotape 1: Operation: Fracture
Holotape 2: The Battle of Troy
Holotape 3: Rendezvous at the Odyssey
If we follow this assumption, we can conclude that there is a minimum of 6 remaining holotapes left by Nathan Black, as there were 9 key conflicts leading up to Demeter's explosion."
Liera's visor pointed at the ground, and then over at the Vault, "I have a feeling we're going to find a lot more than a holotape in there…"
"Pilot, I have transferred some of my AI functions into your helmet in order to permit communication underground."
"Got it."
Danse walked to the rim of the Vault, proceeding to the platform where an unknown number of others stood before, marking their footsteps in an echo across time.
"Here we go."
Liera rushed to his side, tapping a button on her wrist's screen, "Here we go, indeed..."
The seals around the perimeter broke, and the elevator lurched.
They began their descent into Vault 111.
…
The platform slid with a screeching noise, and was falling too fast for comfort. Wheels spun against the chamber, sending off layers of under-use in the form of sparks. Gears squeaked underneath, riveting and old in their nature. Sprinkles of dust littered the platform, a thin sheet falling down from the opening that grew farther away as they progressed.
"I wrote a prayer on a piece of paper and threw it in the fire. Old Pilot's tradition." Liera started the conversation to calm her nerves, "And then Dogmeat found me and brought me to 'Mama Murphy.'"
"I can only imagine how that went…"
"…She told me this Vault was the next step in my journey. She knew things she couldn't have possibly overheard."
"Her accuracy is disturbing." His voice was low, "She warned me about Fort Strong. She knew Cutler would be there."
Liera frowned, her knees bending slightly as the platform slowed, "Do you believe in God?"
The question slipped from her inner thoughts and worked themselves out on her tongue.
"I want to believe some all-knowing power is watching over us. But when I see, every day, what mankind's folly has done to the world…I'm not so sure I can."
"Well, Murphy is convinced 'mankind's' hardships are far from over…"
"Hmph. Now that, I can believe."
The darkness of the cog-shaped tunnel melted away into a blinding light.
The platform landed in heavy clanks, the motion of its mechanism grinding to a halt. A mesh gate shook violently as it began to rise, wobbling back and forth as if would shatter upon touch. The gate got stuck half way, and pushed forward in the form of metal resilience.
A yellow entryway marked where their investigation would start, sharing the same shape as the platform.
"Looks like the inside of the Prydwen around here…" Danse mumbled.
"What, cold and uninviting?" Liera stepped off, hiding her hesitation to continue.
"That's not what I had in mind…"
A grated walkway hung from suspension cables, their foots clanking against it in the silence. It emptied out to a long-forgotten receiving area, with the words, "VAULT 111. Welcome Home," sprawled on a concrete overhang.
"Doesn't feel like home to me…"
Metal arms jutted out like archways, not fully touching in the middle.
"Radiation scanners." Danse ran a finger over one of them, "Judging from the amount of dust present, it's safe to assume we're the first people to investigate this location in quite a while."
They walked through a swinging gate, only as tall as waist level, "I'm starting to understand why…"
More skeletal bodies littered the area, some in lab coats, others in security gear. One in particular rested in front of a sliding bay door, fully anchored at the top of its frame.
It marked the entrance of a cylinder corridor, a twisting cloud of grey at the end of two other, previously opened doors.
Vents spewed exhaust in a frosty mist. The ceiling was formed of winding metal pipes, bolts and rivets, tubes and valves. A long light bulb flickered, half of the mercury burn. Another flashed from the floor, fading as it died and came back to life.
Liera stepped around toppled safety cones as she walked through the second door, diving farther in the Vault. A toolbox sat on a wheeled stand, surrounded by various tools scattered on the floor. They passed an observation window to their right, frosted over by a thick, crystal sheet.
"This place would elicit fear in most individuals." Danse flexed his fingers at his side, "Fortunately, my training prevents-"
A muffled static sound broke from a speaker.
"Wait, what was that?" He turned around with a start.
Liera chuckled, "As you were saying?"
A safety alarm blared twice, rising and falling in volume and pitch.
"Critical f…ure in cr…enic array. All Vault residents must…"
The villainous, robotic woman was lost to a mess of pops and static.
Liera shivered, "The less time we spend here, the better…Something just feels sinister."
"The horrors inflicted in this Vault...it makes my skin crawl. These residents had no idea they were being duped. The way Nora tells it, the Vault-Tec representatives told them the chambers were decontamination pods. They barely escaped the bombs. Thought they were safe…And then they never woke up."
"All except one."
The cryopods at the end of the hall were visible through the shroud now that they were closer. One was still open, it's door raised like a shield in a volley.
"A sole survivor…"
They had arrived…and she couldn't force herself to enter the chilled grave of lost souls, unmarked by little else but letters and numbers on the floor. Water dripped from the labyrinth of pipes that bled into large, frosted baubles, sending ripples in puddles below. The Vault hummed and quieted, its dying breath coughing through the forms of sparks and frost. Everything was so…Sterile.
Her hand shifted by her side, and warmth spread into her numb fingers.
"Take a deep breath and concentrate. You can do this." Danse squeezed her hand, "I'm right behind you."
Liera pulled the cold air through her nose, and gave him a quick nod, "Whatever's in there…"
"We'll face together."
…
Her hand slipped from Danse's as she walked down the three stairs leading to the cryopods.
"I hope none of those pipes contain explosive liquids..."
His investigation started elsewhere, at a terminal mounted to the wall. The cursor on its screen still blinked, left open by its previous user. He took to its keyboard, navigating through the submenus:
"Welcome to ROBCO Industries ™ Termlink
Thank you for choosing Vault-Tec!
[Cryogenic Array]
[Life Support]
[Pod Occupant Status]
[Eject Holotape]"
"A holotape…predictable."
He ejected it.
"I'm fairly certain Nathan left another Pilot's Log here. It's labeled, 'All Bark.'"
Liera turned to him, "Put it aside for now…Keep looking."
Danse wanted to remind her who was in charge, but he put his ego aside with the tape and continued sifting through the terminal.
He clicked the first option, curious to see what the status of the Vault was.
"Cryogenic Array: Offline. Premature termination resulting in system failure. Isolated manual and remote overrides detected. Controls disabled."
He scrunched his nose.
"Manual and remote overrides detected?"
Danse clicked the life support link, hoping to find something more insightful.
"Same thing…"
He checked on the Pod Occupant Status.
"[Pod C1: Empty]
Occupant status: Not applicable.
[Pod C2: Mrs. Callahan]
Occupant status: Deceased. Cause of Death: Asphyxiation due to Life Support failure.
The rest of the Vault dwellers suffered the same fate.
"Gruesome...absolutely gruesome."
He skipped down the list, finding the name that prompted his mission.
[Pod C7: Mrs. Black and Shaun (Infant)]
1. Occupant Status: Unknown - - Pod Door Manual Override Engaged.
2. Occupant Status: Unknown - - Remote Override Engaged.
"Liera," Danse left the screen up, "I think I found something."
She was silent, clutching something in her hand.
…
Liera swiped a frosted pane of glass, taking a frightened stepped back as a frozen body revealed itself. The woman was slumped to the side, her head attached to the metal frame of her seat by icy braces. A vault suit identical to the one Nora wore clung to her.
She was a crystalized form of science gone wrong.
Liera shook off the cringing feeling, and passed the rest to get to where she sought the most.
"C7…?"
Ice poked from the ripped seams of the chair around an outline of a person, formed by shallow frost. The opened chamber was disturbingly like the Hammond simulation pods the Militia had salvaged back home. A carbon copy, in fact. The seat was the same. Scanners were in the same spot.
The only difference was its function.
Quick flashes of light drew her attention to the right. A pair of dogtags hung on the red manual latch, swaying back and forth in the draft. She unhooked them, rolling the plates in her hand:
BLACK
NATHAN
2
O NEGATIVE
04.17.48
UNIT: THETA-6
RATING: PILOT
Her thumb slid along the track in the middle, the thin square of the on-board USB drive sliding out the rounded end.
"Liera," Danse beckoned, "I think I found something."
"Me too…"
She lifted her wrist, pushing the drive into her computer gauntlet.
"Holotags?" Danse asked, peering over her shoulder.
"No. Nathan's dogtags."
"You can store data on them?"
"Just enough for your helmet to store the recording of your final moments…"
"Loading Pilot's Log…One moment." EV wrote on the screen.
Liera looked up to him, "What did you find?"
"Nora's chamber was opened manually, and then again remotely." Danse crossed his arms, eyeing the chamber, "Someone was physically here to lift the handle…But later, someone opened it from a distance."
"Who'd be able to get a signal down here?"
"Nora told us that the residents were informed they'd receive the All-Clear from Vault-Tec…They must have built some form of communications network to connect with the Vaults. If someone was able to tap into that network, a signal could have been pushed to the cryogenic array."
"So…" Liera turned back to the pod, "This was opened twice?"
"And closed twice."
"That doesn't make any sense…"
"Not yet." EV interrupted, "However, there is a video file on this drive. It may provide us answers as to what happened in Vault 111."
A holographic display illuminated from the side of Liera's visor, painting the chambers in blue.
"This must be what he wanted us to see." She gulped, "And judging by his communications with us under Fort Strong, it won't be a recording of him dying…"
Danse braced himself, and he guessed from her rigid posture that she did, too.
...
PILOT'S_LOG_ _PERSEPHONE_001 [BLACKLISTED]
Date: 10/26/2259
Location: Vault 111, Earth
Age: 29
Occupation: Rank S Pilot, IMC
Assigned Squadron: Theta-6
ATLAS REPORT: Black Operations conducted upon receiving encrypted message from self-identified Garrison Black. Terminal offense flags manually erased by [ERR0r]
Nathan walked through the hall leading to the cryochamber. The bay door was closed, and he pulled out his IMC-issued knife that was beat to hell. The blade was dull, and overuse left the curve dotted in knocks. He knelt down to the door's latch, and shoved his knife between the lever and the frame, prying it upwards with a swift tug.
"That's 'bout as much use you're gettin' out of that thing." A man snickered.
And Liera knew who it was.
"Barker…?"
Nathan pulled the door, and sent it into the ceiling.
"It's more for luck than slitting throats, not that it hasn't."
The same 8 pods Liera and Danse stumbled upon lay in their rows. Even though they were 28 years younger, they were still chilled to the core.
"Look, man. I know you're real determined to find your kid and all...But you ain't pay me enough to go poking around a bunch of frozen dead people." Barker grimaced.
He was younger, too. His hair hadn't been salted with greys, and his face was smoother.
"All bark, no bite, huh? That why they call you Barker?"
"Shut up and keep your head down. Damn cryosleep…Gives me the creeps."
Nathan snickered, "There won't be a need for it after the rest of Garrison's precious circle wakes up."
"You can stop talkin' right now. Less you tell me? The better."
"You're not as dumb as they say you are."
A picture of a Titan popped up on Nathan's HUD.
"Engaging Follow Mode."
"What? Atlas, no, you can't-"
"Unable to follow Pilot. Redirecting course."
"Ugh…" Nathan sighed, "Guard mode, Atlas. Guard. Mode."
"Engaging Guard Mode."
His visor went black as he facepalmed, "Maybe one day, these Titans won't be so…I don't know, robotic."
"You want the 20-foot battlemech to be less robotic?" Barker tapped away on the terminal, looking over his shoulder.
"Just…find it. All these windows are frosted over."
Barker rolled his eyes, and glued his face back to the screen.
"Pod C7. Down the hall near the end."
Nathan's head turned, and he traced the numbers on the floor. He paused at his mark, and knocked his knuckles against the glass, "Open her up."
The same alarms Liera heard blared, crisper and less damaged.
"Manual override initiated. Cryogenic stasis suspended."
Barker walked to his side, "That him?"
The frost started to fade, and an outline of a woman holding a child melted through.
"Yeah. That's him, alright…"
"You didn't say he was a baby."
"Does it matter?"
Barker hacked and spit, "Never flew with a baby on-board. Not sure how he's gonna fair out."
"…He's frozen. I'm 'not sure' how much worse it can get."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" Barker sighed, "So…How long you think till Garrison figures out you ran?"
"Not long. We're going to put his little pet back to sleep once I get Shaun."
"Thaw 'em out, snatch and grab. Classy…Who is she, anyway?"
There was a pause, only lightened by Nathan's hand around the manual release.
"My wife."
The doors' hydraulics screamed, and metal latches came undone around the cryopod's case.
His son cried in Nora's arms. She took her first breath, nearly dropping the baby. Nathan reached out, catching him as if he was prepared for it. He quickly stepped back, ripping him from her arms.
She looked scared, confused – angry.
"Nathan…You're alive."
"Yeah."
"Is it over? Are we okay?"
Nathan nodded to Barker, "Hold him for a sec."
"Ugh…Okay, shhh….SHHHH. Shit, you're a cold little baby…"
Nora took a step, and Nathan barred her with his forearm.
"You can't leave yet."
Her brows furrowed, "What do you mean 'I can't leave yet?' My family built this Vault."
"They can't help you this time, Nora." He gave her a forceful shove, and pulled the lever.
She tried to get out before the cryopod shut, but froze when Nathan's gun ripped out of its holster. Its sights were aimed straight between her eyes.
Her face folded in anger and her hands balled in to fists.
"That's what I thought." He pulled his pistol back, and talked to her through the closed pod, "See, I couldn't figure out how the satellites reverted back to Crius-3. Evelyn and I made sure Angel City stayed far off the IMC's radar. And then you came along for our…discussion. One look at the security cameras you so naively forgot about, and I had my answers."
Nathan's face pushed closer to the glass panel, "How surprised was I when I found out you and Garrison were working together. You wanted this war. He wanted the Frontier. Well guess what? You got the war. Thanks to your sister, he didn't get the Frontier…and he's not getting Shaun, either."
Nora beat on the inside of the chamber, "Where is my father?! Where is Evelyn?! LET ME OUT!"
"Eric's still asleep. And Evelyn? She's…she's dead."
Her fists slid down the glass, a whining squeal released from the side of her palms.
"…Dead?"
"It's been 182 years, Nora. Welcome to the future. I won't be so nice the next time you wake up."
She roared, beating against the inside of the pod, "I'm awake now, you son of a bitch!"
Barker grumbled under his breath, rocking Shaun in one arm and resting his other palm on the terminal's keyboard.
"No…" Nathan gave him a nod, and turned back to Nora, "…You're not."
"Cryogenic sequence reinitialized."
"Nathan!" She punched the glass until her knuckles bled, "NATHAN!"
Her screams faded into silence, her gasps for air frozen over.
"That never happened." Nathan mumbled.
"Sure, sure…But telling her Evelyn's dead? Really?"
"She might as well be. Let it go."
Shaun stopped crying as soon as Nathan took him in his arms.
"Hey there, little guy…Nice to meet you."
The baby's hand curled around his finger, kicking his feet and giving him a gargled laugh.
"Gonna have a hard time explaining this one." Barker removed a flask from his jacket, and took large gulps of what Liera knew was moonshine.
"I'm keeping my son far away from the IMC and this hellhole." Nathan tickled Shaun's stomach, "He's going to grow up under a new name, with a new family. Garrison won't ever be able to find him."
Barker almost had his flask returned to his inner pocket, but paused and took it back out, "We're just gonna dump your kid?"
"No. I've already vetted a woman in Angel City. Widowed, infertile, wants to raise a child. We just have to deliver him to her."
"Right, because planting him in one of the Militia's strongholds is the safer option."
"With Harmony at their backs, the Militia has defended Crius-3 for damn near two centuries."
Barker tipped his flask at the ceiling, and frowned when it came up empty, "Fair point…I'll have my buddies in Mythos alter our flight records when we get back. Don't think our trip would be considered official IMC business by good ol' Mac."
"Just like that, eh?"
Barker winked at him, raising his flask in a salute, "Just like that."
...
Liera's hands shook. Her shoulders tensed up to her ears. She leaned her forearm on one of the cryopods, buckling over as she dry-heaved, facing away from him.
"How does she have anything left to up-heave?"
Danse jogged to her side, patting her back through her armor and holding her arm, "We need you get you back up."
Liera gasped for air, wiping the saliva from her mouth, drying her face of sweat. All she could do was shake her head no.
"I…I think I know where Nora's son is…"
Her back slid against the cryopod behind her until she came to a stop. She sat near a puddle, balancing her elbows on her knees and cupping her face.
"What? How?"
"Nathan said…Angel City was still under control of the Militia…And Barker was still IMC…" Liera's breathing stuttered, "But Angel City fell to IMC control 28 years ago…"
"So Shaun isn't a baby anymore, then?"
"No. He'd be pushing 30, and somewhere between 25 and 26 during the Demeter Campaign. I don't think he's 'Shaun' anymore, either…" Her eyes squeezed shut, and she mouthed something barely over a whisper, "Nathan opened fire on a Militia Rifle Battalion. Said his son's squad wasn't in formation. Said he shot at him… EV…Which Battalions served in the Battle of Troy?"
"One moment."
The data on her wrist's screen scrolled and fluttered as EV combed through it.
"Preston told me a ship came through the Commonwealth 28 years ago." Danse sat next to her, "I wonder if it was them…"
Liera hooked her chin on her shoulder, "He said what?"
"He told me a ship unlike anything anyone's ever seen was sighted 28 years ago by his former General."
She closed her eyes, "Had to be them. Barker is the best Pilot the Frontier has ever had. Don't know too many others who could pull off a flight like that…"
"Pilot, search results confirm that the support unit deployed under Marauder Corps jurisdiction during the Battle of Troy was the 41st Militia Rifle Battalion."
A small whimper left her mouth, "Cross reference list of deployed with Angel City, Crius-3 place of origin…Single mother…Ages 25-26…"
"…Pilot-"
"How many results?"
EV didn't answer.
"How many results?!" She repeated, her voice cracking.
The room was reduced to the dripping of leaky tiles in the ceiling. She hugged herself, and rocked on her heels, "Please no…please no…"
Liera was breaking.
"One."
And then she broke.
"R3 Rifleman, Jack Cooper."
Special thanks to MjrGenMatt for being the best beta I've ever had and helping me get this chapter just right. Cheers to a long-lasting partner/friendship and lots of "MOVING THE PAYLOAD!"
Author's Note:
Since its creation in March, a lot of readers have asked me why Jack and BT's story was included in this fic. Hopefully this chapter answers that question better than the vague responses I've previously delivered. This twist was premeditated, and I didn't want to spoil anything. I'd love to hear what you think on the matter.