OoO( 35 )OoO

"This the one?" asked a voice in the darkness. The wanderer felt a cold hand grab his chin and jerk his head upwards, before letting him go.

"That's him alright. Never forget that fucking face." said a distorted, mechanical voice.

The original voice returned. "So, you're the one who tore my boy in half huh?" asked the voice. Slowly, the gunman's eyes opened and he looked at the man in front of him. His glowing green eyes only met one eye, which was brown, and currently looked like it contained all the hatred of the entire wasteland. The man wore a simple set of leather armor and clothing, with a necklace of teeth around his neck. "I asked you a question boy." said the man as he drew a knife from his belt.

"You're….Rocco's….father?" asked John. The man's face warped in anger as he heard his son's name come from the killer's mouth.

"You're goddamn right I was his father. Still am, even if you did kill him." said the man as he thrust the knife forward into John's abdomen. The wanderer shouted in pain as the blade pierced his stomach. The raider then ripped the blade clean. His single eye focused on the wound, watching as it slowly sealed back up without even a mark. The man smiled. "So what they said was true. You just heal right back up." he said, looking back up at the gunman.

John glared at him and pulled with his arms, trying to break whatever was holding him. But the chains wrapped around him were even beyond his strength. No matter how hard he strained, they refused to give in. Finally he stopped struggling and continued glaring at the man. Once his eyes had adjusted to the darkness of the room, he could properly see. He was in some kind of office building. The floor around him was littered with overturned desks and papers of bygone years. Pictures used for an aesthetic touch to the offices were shattered and scattered all over the place, as well as rubble and debris from the deteriorating structure of the building. The chains that were holding him in place went through the ceiling and looked to be tied to the structure itself. Looking down, his lower half was secured with chains as well, making it nearly impossible for him to move at all. Were it not for his inhuman strength, he would literally be frozen in place and unable to even turn. Despite this however, he was painfully aware that his torso was exposed. His duster and jumpsuit had been removed, leaving him in only a pair of skivvies.

In the background, a familiar figure entered his gaze, and he smiled. "Ah, Magnus. How's the hand?" asked John.

He wasn't sure what the man's expression was, but he knew that it wasn't a pleasant one. "If I were you, I'd control my tongue. There's a lot of people who hate you right outside this door. It'd be a shame if the door were to open accidentally." said the power armored figure with a smirk in his voice.

But his intimidation failed. John laughed, irritating him even more. "I'm sorry, was that supposed to scare me?" he asked through a humorous smile. "You, the coward who used his jetpacks to fly off and leave the rest of them for dead, are threatening me?" said the wanderer. Magnus, obviously having taken the bait, walked up to him to hit him, or to do something equally as empowering. But John jerked on the chains again, straining forward. The power armored figured took a step back so suddenly that if he weren't in stabilized power armor, he'd have fallen right in his rear end. John just spit at his feet. "Go ahead and try it coward. See what happens to the other hand." he said with a glare.

"So, you left my Rocco there did you?" asked the raider as he turned to the power armored man. "All that bravado behind the power armor and you couldn't even handle one man." said the leader in disgust. "Be that as it may, he did not kill my boy. You did." Running a hand through his mohawked hair, he took another knife. "And now that we know about your regeneration, we don't have to waste stims on you to make the torture lasts longer." he said, then forcefully stabbed the knife into John's shoulder. The gunman yelled again in pain as his glowing eyes glared down at the raider.

"Hey boss, the boys are saying there's a storm heading in. If we're gonna do this here, then we're gonna be here for a while." said a man who had been stationed near the door.

The raider reached down and grabbed what looked like a small rolled up blanket, which he set upon a nearby wooden table and unrolled across its surface. It wasn't a blanket, as John found out when he saw the contents. It was a handyman's tool roll that had been converted into a knife holder. Now, there were twenty some blades of varying sizes within the folds of the cloth, all of them as sharp and deadly as the one now sitting in his shoulder. "Don't worry." replied the boss as he took a knife long enough to be called a machete. "We've got all the time in the world." he said with a wicked smile, before slamming the blade through the gunman's abdomen again.

OoOoO

Lucas and Lana had decided to get a drink, and take a bit of a rest from their investigations. They currently sat in Moriarty's Saloon talking together over a beer. The redhaired woman sat back exasperated. "Well, this has certainly gone well." she said, rubbing her temples.

"Yeah, I figured it wasn't going to be easy. But for now, let's keep this conversation to ourselves." he said softly. "Don't know who's listening." Lana agreed and took a drink of her beer. "So, I heard you've been doing a little investigating on the side." asked the sheriff.

The Knight looked up at him and nodded. "Sorta...I was actually just researching more into this holotape that Doc Church gave me. Something about a synthetic man." she said.

"Sounds like bullshit to me." said Lucas as he took his hat off, allowing the cooler inside air to grace his bald head.

She acknowledged the comment, but continued. "I thought so too at first. But the more I go over the tape, the more legitimate it sounds. I was able to verify through a contact at the Citadel that the Institute is a real place that does all kinds of shady stuff. And they even said that someone contacted them about trying to find a 'rogue automaton that looks like a human'. They laughed him out the front gate of course." she said with a humored chuckle.

Simms just nodded with a knowing smile. Since the emissary had come to Megaton, he'd had the chance to learn a lot more about the Brotherhood of Steel than he knew before. And one thing he knew now is that if the Brotherhood ever got their hands on a synthetic human, there wouldn't be a force in the wasteland that could take it from them. The problem with that situation was... "If he is actually a human machine though, wouldn't the Brotherhood taking him be akin to kidnapping?" he asked.

She looked up at him, then scratched her chin in thought. "I...really don't know. A synthetic human is still human, just like synthetic skin eventually becomes real skin. So if this synth does actually have free will, I suppose it would be." she said, a bit conflicted about the situation. She did want to get her hands on that kind of technology, more for study than anything else. But she also wasn't going to kidnap someone to do it.

While pondering the predicament, the waitress of the saloon walked up and smiled. "Can I get anything else for you?" she asked sweetly. Lucas and Lana looked up at the blonde girl questioningly.

Lucas leaned back in his seat. "And what's your name?" he asked, unused to seeing anyone but Nova in the saloon.

Her face lit up briefly with a smile. "My name is Lisa...erm...I mean...Rose." she said, looking back to see if the Irishman had heard her.

"Alright...Rose, what happened to Nova?" he asked.

The girl looked at him questioningly. "I...I'm not sure who that is." she said. "If you'd like...I can ask the owner of the establishment." she said, sounding very well spoken for what was probably another waster girl.

"Actually, I think I'll ask him myself." said the sheriff as he stood to his feet. Lana followed him as he walked over to the counter where Gob was standing, washing the surface of the bar with a dirty rag. "Gob." said the sheriff sharply, make the ghoul jump in surprise. "Where is Nova?" he asked.

Despite the ghoul's radiation ravaged face, the man could easily see that his face was swollen. One of the bartender's eyes was nearly closed from a large contusion on his brow. "I..uh...I'm not sure boss. Moriarty said that she's doing some business for him and won't be back for a while." said the ghoul as he lowered his head as if in shame.

"Gob." said the feminine voice of Lana. The ghoul looked up at her curiously. "I can see you're lying." she said as she leaned over the bar towards him.

The bartender just lowered his head. "Look, I'm just the bartender. Please don't ask me questions I can't answer." he practically begged in his gravelly voice.

"Gob…" said Lucas, who crossed his arms in a subconscious attempt to intimidate the ghoul. "As the sheriff of Megaton, if you have any information on her whereabouts, I'm ordering you to tell me." he said, letting the ghoul know that he had no choice in the matter.

Gob was looking at the counter again when a voice to the sheriff's left side caught his attention. It was thick with the familiar Irish accent of the bar owner. "Is there somethin' I can do fer ya Sheriff?" asked the man as he closed the door to his office.

"I was just asking Gob here where Nova went off to. It's unlike her to miss work, seeing as she lives here." he said, eyeing the Irishman.

Moriarty just closed his eyes and shook his head however. "I'm afraid she up an' left with a bunch'a caps she stole off'a me. I sent her to do a business deal and instead she jes bailed and took off wit' all the goods." he said as he walked up behind the bar and stood behind Gob. "Jes like Gob said, innat right?" he asked, looking down at the ghoul.

"That's right boss. Just like you said." said the gravelly voiced bartender, who shrank under the man's dominating gaze.

Moriarty smiled and looked up at the sheriff. "Anyt'ing else I can do fer ya?" he asked.

Simms stared at Moriarty for a long moment before shaking his head. "No, that'll be all." he said. Stepping up to the counter, he just smiled. "I'll go ahead and be on my way right after I check the rooms here and make sure everything is as you say it is." he said, watching as Moriarty's smile vanished.

"I'm afraid I'mma hafta decline yer polite offer Sheriff. See, customers get real cheesed if someone goes snoopin' through their belongin's." said the Irishman as he glared at the sheriff.

"You're mistaking my words for a request. I wasn't offering Moriarty. I'm going to look through your rooms here, and you're gonna stand right there all nice and proper, and keep that trap of yours shut until I finish." he said.

But the bar owner just shook his head. "I really wish ya hadn't said that Sheriff." he said. Suddenly, three men who were sitting at random tables stood up and pointed their pistols at the sheriff. "Now see what ya did? Ya jes couldn't keep your nose outta business that wasn't yours."

Simms looked around at the three men surrounding him, then back at Moriarty. "So that's how this is gonna be is it?" he asked, not daring to reach for his weapon.

"I'm afraid ya brought it on yerself. I must admit though Sheriff, ya got some balls for thinking ya can move in on me without your little pet in town." said the barman as he shrugged. "Get rid o' him." said the Irishman. But a loud humming sound had them all looking around. Suddenly, one of the three men dropped their pistol screaming with his thumb now missing. Another just stared dumbly as his hand separated from his wrist entirely, and the third was grabbed. The final gunner's hand was twisted with such force that he dropped his gun as a leg kicked up around his neck, forcing him to bend backwards as it locked around his throat, nearly strangling him. Both Moriarty and Simms looked back to see Lana practically strangling the man with one upraised leg, one leg on the ground, and a laser pistol aimed directly at the Irishman.

"Change of plans asshole. You move and the next crater to appear in this town will be in your head." she said in a deadly tone as her icy blue eyes glared at him. Moriarty was speechless as he stared at her. Simms was too for a moment, never knowing she possessed such martial skills, but quickly recovered and turned to Moriarty with a smile.

"Well well, Moriarty, the biggest mouth in the Capital Wasteland, finally speechless. Never thought I'd see the day." said the sheriff, before grabbing the man by the collar and slamming a fist across his jaw. The blow hit the bar owner so hard that the man literally slammed into the wall from the force. Reaching down, Lucas dragged Moriarty out from behind the bar and threw him over a table where he lay unconscious. Looking up at Lana, he just smiled. "If you want, you can let him go. That looks a bit...uncomfortable." he said.

The redhaired woman nodded, releasing her leg's stranglehold on the man, then kicking him in the head and sending him barreling into the ground. "Can you believe I wanted to be a ballerina as a girl?" she asked, making the sheriff chuckle.

Simms then turned to Gob. "I'm gonna need…" he started to command, but the ghoul shoved the room keys into his hands before he even finished.

"You'll want to pay special attention to his office." said the ghoul as he glared down at the bar owner. "And...sorry. Death threats…" he finished.

Simms nodded. Walking over to the office, he took the master key and opened the door. The light was out currently, and the only visibility in the room came from the terminal sitting on the desk. Reaching over, the sheriff flipped on the light switch, his eyes widening at the sight. "Mother of God. You sick son of a bitch…" he said through grinding teeth.

OoOoO

It had been almost a week since the man had seen the massacre at Paradise Falls. He had stayed on the cliff the entire time when the lights of the settlement went out. The screams that followed were those reserved for nightmares. He wasn't sure who this Vance character was exactly. And since he'd started hanging around the insane gunman, he'd heard some kind of strange rumor about him having tamed creatures of the night, whatever that meant. But he'd never encountered such a terrifying thing in his entire life.

He'd been a mercenary for most of his life. He'd been big, even as a fifteen year old kid, when his parent's fleeing caravan was attacked by a religious group who were apparently not okay with a dark-skinned woman and a light-skinned man being together. They managed to repel them, but at the cost of his father's life. From that point on, he and his mother had settled in Canterbury Commons, where he worked odd jobs to feed them, and his mother slowly and surely became sicker from some kind of illness. He could of sworn it was heartbreak from the death of his father, but he wasn't a doctor. Eventually, she didn't wake up, and he had to move to get away from the memories.

After leaving the town, he'd seen many horrors. He had sold most of their belongings to get a gun, and some armor, and he began to do jobs to forget about where he came from. Eventually, the jobs began to blend together until he grew and grew into the mountain of muscle that he was. Talon Company recruited him after he had taken pay to wipe out an annoying raider band that had burrowed itself into a metro tunnel near a settlement. They approached him and made him an offer he couldn't refuse, then slapped on the armor and lived the life. Taking jobs without question, killing targets that Talon Company had found annoying, from the mayor of this town, to some psychopath that had taken one of their squads hostage with a bomb vest.

Eventually, he had proven himself by killing a supermutant that had the meanest looking rocket launcher mankind had ever seen. Taking the weapon as his prize, he had it modified so that it was essentially a shoulder mounted missile battery. After a while, a friend of his higher up on the food chain offered him a cushy position as a bodyguard for one of their new recruits and clients. He took it because it was more caps. But regardless of the many advantages the job had given him, he'd never held any kind of loyalty to Talon Company. It was a job, and he'd do it until he found something better.

That day finally came when his ward, a scrawny little windbag known as Daniel Burke, heard of his father's death and sought out the man responsible. It took a while to track him down, but when he finally did, they cut him off as he was exiting a metro tunnel. It was funny how a metro tunnel got him the job in the mercenary company, and a metro tunnel ended up losing him that job as well. When his protectee called him a very derogatory name, he lost it. The old memories of those zealots attacking and killing his father resurfaced violently. Then he met maybe the first man in all the wasteland who recognized his differences, and didn't see him as a threat. Even his brothers in Talon Company had watched their backs around him. But not this man. He had given him the chance to actually do something about those who unfairly judged others.

It was slightly amusing thinking about it now. A man like John Ronas would have seemed weak to him at some time in the past. Someone so soft hearted that he actually faced an army of supermutants for a few human lives. Before, he'd have dismissed them as too far gone, or unable to be saved. But seeing the gunman so readily throw himself into the fire excited him. Made him realize that it wasn't a weakness to try so hard to save human lives. It was strength to go against the odds, even for those who were doomed. And as he proved to him in the Statesman Hotel, his strength was enough to save those lives.

The man chuckled to himself as he remembered the week before again. Deathclaws, massive Mirelurks, armies of feral ghouls had been common in his time with Talon Company. But seeing such a display had shook him, despite his iron will. He hadn't been disturbed exactly, but it taught him that there were things in this wasteland that could kill him without him being aware of its presence. That realization made him want to see the one person who he'd felt a connection with since he had been a child. Very rarely did he ever actually like anyone. Even John had taken a bit to like, despite having his respect from day one. But now, he could admit that he had someone he really liked. And he wanted to see them now more than anything.

Stepping up to the fenced in building, he pushed the button on the panel outside the gated door. Shortly afterwards a voice came through, which he immediately recognized. "Welcome to Reilly's Compound, what can I do for you?" asked the gruff feminine voice.

Cid smiled and crossed his arms. "Coming back to see some old friends." he said.

"Holy shit, is that Cid? Where the hell has your big ass been?" asked the woman jokingly.

"Oh, you know, hanging out with vampires." he said, smirking at how true the statement actually was.

"Pffft. Right. And I'm a fuckin' werewolf." said the woman over the com. "Hold on, I'll go ahead and open the door." she said. There was silence for a moment, followed by a loud buzzing. Cid reached forward and opened the gate as the woman spoke again. "Close the door behind you, and don't let it hit your big ass on the way in." she said, making the normally stoic figure chuckle as he closed the gate behind him.

He walked down the lit corridor, passing one of the rangers as he did. He nodded to Donovan, who was currently tapping away at a terminal in one of the rooms. The man acknowledged him with a short smile, then immediately got back to work. When he finally entered the main area, he looked around and whistled. They had several terminals tied together with cabling, that were themselves connected to what looked like a large computer server. He wasn't that great with tech, but he'd heard John talk about it a few times with Lana. On the other side of the large office space were numerous maps drawn out on paper and pieced together on the concrete wall. The desks below the maps were disorganized, and scattered with more paper, followed by some file cabinets to their left. And on the far wall was a set of lockers that looked big enough to fit even his rocket launcher in.

Brick, who was sitting at a radio near the door smiled at him. "So, Lord of the Vampires, did you come to turn us all into your minions of the night?" she asked jokingly.

He smirked at her. "You're cute when you're trying to be funny." he said, knowing that the easiest way to get under her skin was to pay her looks a compliment. As predicted, she puffed up and glared at him.

"I'm not cute, I'm Brick, and I'm the biggest hardass this side of the Potomac." she said with authority.

He laughed and patted her shoulder. "I know I know. Where's your boss cutie?" he asked. She erupted into a battle cry and launched herself out of her chair.

"That's it asshole! You asked for it!" she shouted, then jumped on him and headlocked him. Despite his sturdy frame, her weight slamming into him so suddenly resulted in him falling forward onto his stomach. He reached up and grabbed her arm, preventing it from truly locking around his neck, as he struggled to get up. But she knew how to keep him down, because every time he got footing, she kicked it out from underneath him. As the two struggled, Butcher walked in and they both froze. The man looked at them oddly, holding a lit cigarette in one hand, and a cup of coffee in the other.

Shaking his head, the man just turned and walked back. "It's too early for this shit…" he said as he left the two.

"See how I scared off your backup?" asked Cid jokingly as he finally got his footing and flipped her onto her back. He grabbed her arms and locked them behind her back as she tried to sit up, but the woman jabbed the back of her shorn head into his chin, then locked one of her legs behind his. After stunning him with the low impact headbutt, she wrenched her arms free and grabbed him around the neck, then lifted him bodily by redistributing his weight, and slammed the man to the ground with enough force shake the bunkers floor. The breath flew from his lungs and he groaned, holding his chest at the breathtaking strength of the woman.

"See how I just kicked your ass?" said the woman with a smirk.

"What's going on in here?" asked the familiar voice of Reilly as she entered the main room. As soon as she saw Cid on the ground, she froze, her face immediately turning red. "Cid? What are you doing here?" she asked, then tilted her head as he looked at her upside down. "And why are you on the ground?" she asked.

"He got his ass kicked by a girl." said Brick with a proud smile as she sat back in her seat at the communications desk.

Cid sat up, still rubbing his chest as he regulated his breathing again. "Goddamn right I did…" he said getting to his feet and rubbing his back sorely. When he could finally breath without struggle again, he finally smiled at Reilly. "Hey." he said.

She smiled back at him, her face flushing lightly. "Hey." she returned.

Brick just glared at them. "Get a fucking room you two."

Cid just chuckled at her, then walked over to the leader of the Rangers and took her gently by the arm, leading her away from the war room. "You actually came." said Reilly quietly as they walked to her own office down the hall to the side.

"I said I would, didn't I?" he asked.

"Yeah but...what about John?" she asked, looking at him. "Didn't you say you were gonna stick with him for a while?" she asked as she sat at the desk.

He nodded as he sat down in one of the chairs in her office. "He seems like he's in good company right now. I don't know if he really needs my help at the moment." he said. "Besides, after a few of the things I've seen in the last week or so, I really wanted to see you." he said.

She blushed a darker shade of red, nearly matching the color of her fiery hair. "Don't get all soft on me Cid. You did just get your ass kicked by a girl after all." she said jokingly, making him laugh.

"I wanna see some paperwork on her. I'm having a hard time believing she's even human after that display." he said, making her giggle as well. "So, I've actually come to take you up on your offer."

Her eyes snapped up to him, wide in awe. "You mean it?" she asked, getting a nod from him. She smiled brightly. "That's great!" she said excitedly.

But both of them were interrupted by Brick over the intercom, who had a disturbing uneasiness in her voice. "Hey boss, a signal hit our frequency just now. I think you are gonna want to hear this." she said in a tone that worried both of them. They both got up from their seats and sprinted to the war room again and were met with a bone chilling broadcast.

Brick immediately turned the volume up on her ham radio while Donovan and Butcher listened in from her other side.

"Hey boss, the boys are saying there's a storm heading in. If we're gonna do this here, then we're gonna be here for a while." said a random voice that none of them really recognized.

There was a slight chuckle and some other sounds in the background. "Don't worry. We've got all the time in the world." said another sinister voice. The sound of tortured screaming afterwards made them all gasp in horror.

"Is that John?" asked Donovan.

Cid nodded grimly. "Yeah...that was him alright." he said as he clenched his fist tightly.

OoOoO

Sonora and her brother had stayed in for the day given the storm that the gunman had warned them about earlier. A combination of radiation and lightning wasn't healthy for anyone who was still considered human. And aside from medication, they had no real protection against the radiation at all, leaving them no choice but to hole up until it passed.

But when her brother, who was managing the radio, took his headphones off and looked at her in horror, she knew that staying inside was no longer an option. "¿Qué es?" she asked.

León reached forward and unplugged the headset from the radio. As soon as the jack exited its port, an earsplitting scream echoed across the cavernous house. They both stared wide-eyed as they recognized the voice immediately. "Dios lo ayude…" said the woman.

OoOoO

In the downtown streets of DC, a group of power armored figures were marching down the road at the outskirts of the ruins of the former capital. Six units in the team, consisting of the commander, the medic, communications, two heavy arms, and one reconnaissance unit made up what was known as the Lyon's Pride. At least, normally. Currently, the squad also had two recruits that were training to become full fledged Knights.

Hours before, the Pride had cleaned out a small structure that had been a nest of supermutants that had thus far killed two travelling caravans that had been headed for Rivet City. After the job was finished, they had to also scout the nearby area to make sure there were no flimsy supermutant outposts that they left behind. But after two hours of searching, it looked like their job was finished.

At least, that's what it looked like at first. But the entire party raised their weapons when a small figure appeared around the buildings. It was ball shaped, and had antennae sprouting off the top and bottom of it. It hovered curiously, as if it were unbalanced towards the group that were now aiming at it.

"Hold your fire." said the commander.

"But sir...it's an Enclave bot." said one of the heavy arms units.

"Do as I say Paladin." said the sentinel as she stood straight and watched the object float closer. "It's not playing music or propaganda, and it's not firing at raiders. If it's not doing either of those two things, then there's something wrong with it." she said, walking closer.

"This may be our chance to actually capture one before it self destructs. You know, make our own drones." said the medic as he continued to hold his laser rifle up.

"We'll see. But there's something odd about this one." said the woman as the bot floated in front of her.

When it finally stopped it was only a few feet in front of her. To all of their surprise, it finally spoke as its outer shell let out a spark, causing it to tilt in the other direction. "Insignia recognized. Sentinel Lyons." said the small machine.

"What the hell did it just say?" asked the second heavy arms unit.

"I think it recognized the commander. They aren't supposed to be built for facial recognition. The most the cameras are used for is recording…" said the female recon unit.

"Everyone shut the hell up!" commanded the sentinel. The entire squad went quiet. Reaching up, Sarah removed her helmet and looked at the robot. "I am Sentinal Sarah Lyons, of the Brotherhood of Steel. How do you know me?" she asked.

"You are ally to my creator, the communist known as John Ronas." said the bot, immediately getting her attention.

"You know John?" she asked curiously.

"I do. He is in very real danger and needs assistance. I wasn't enough to help him escape the situation, and was forced to retreat and find help."

"This sounds like a trap...how did he know where we were?" asked the recon scout again.

"Your radio frequency is currently set to fifty-five point five megahertz. I was given all allied radio frequencies by my creator in case assistance was ever needed in Megaton. My ability to track that frequency is still functioning, even if my radio capabilities are not. You must assist the creator. His very life is in danger." said the eyebot, more urgently than before.

"Uhh...boss. You might want to turn on your radio." said the communications unit. "Something just popped onto the band." he said, shaken by what he was hearing. Sarah put her helmet back on, then activated the BoS radio band. Immediately her stomach plummeted as she heard screams of pain unlike anything she'd ever heard before.

Turning to the robot, she glared. "Where is he!?" she asked. But the robot fell. Reaching out quickly, the woman caught it and held him up. On the display was a map with a beacon blinking rapidly to the northwest. "Get ready, we're moving out!" she commanded, strapping the now blank screened bot to her side. Pulling up her laser rifle, she and the rest of the pride pushed out northwards and out of the DC ruins.

OoOoO

Thank you to Will me is for correcting me on Dogmeat's actual breed. x_x I always thought he was a German Shepherd. My bad.