Summary:
Back in the Mojave, McNamara's team completes its investigation into the sabotage of the Hidden Valley bunker. With the help of Danse and Scribe Ibsen, they come up with a likely conclusion that the saboteur must have had connections with the Institute that was destroyed in the Commonwealth.
Nora creates a strategy of determining if Arthur Maxson had any previous knowledge of Sarah Lyons survival and whether he had anything to do with the attempt on her life. She travels to Boston airport to speak with Maxson, carrying with her holotapes containing information from the exodus of the Lyons Pride.
Arthur Maxson, the Elder of the Brotherhood of Steel chapter in the Commonwealth, is paid an interesting visit by Nora. Through a series of questions she poses, he comes to the realisation that the Lyons Pride may not be gone for good as others had him believe, but were rather closer than he thought possible. Spurred by his anger at the fact that there were those under him who were carrying out unsanctioned missions within the city, and the determination to see the woman he'd once idolised and admired again, Maxson decides to find the culprits and bring justice to the unfortunate history of the Lyons Pride.
Inside the NCR's Camp McCarran base, in a section allocated for the Brotherhood of Steel, Elder McNamara stood beside Ibsen and Danse trying to keep up with the information his scribe was bombarding him with. It was 0600 hours in the Mojave and they finally had the collated results back from the salvage operation for their bunker that was carried out over the span of a couple of weeks, which yielded some worrying results. If the new information their guest from the Commonwealth was giving them was accurate, it was highly likely that someone, or something, had hacked into their computer mainframe and took over all systems which caused the devastating loss of life and of their base.
"So, what does this mean? Is there any way we can track down whoever did this?" McNamara inquired, rubbing his temples in frustration.
"Unlikely. It appears the signal was scrambled shortly after the connection was made", Ibsen answered, "This does mean that, whoever hacked into our systems…they know everything there is to know about us…".
McNamara heaved a heavy sigh, turning to Danse for suggestions, "You mentioned that you recognised some of the code that you and Ibsen encountered at the bunker".
"Yes Elder", Danse nodded, "Though it was highly modified".
"Tell me what you know", McNamara requested, pulling up a seat for himself.
Danse tried to collate the information and experience he had that was relevant to their current situation as succinctly as possible, explaining how they came about the Institute and what Dase's involvement was in the investigation. With the help of other people and faction groups in the Commonwealth, they were able to determine that the Institute was behind countless abductions of people, replacing them with synthetic versions that they could control, as well as a far reaching espionage system that spanned several states, if not the whole country.
"Alright, so we have a starting point", McNamara added feeling a bit more optimistic, "Maybe we send a team to the Commonwealth to figure out what's going on and if the Institute is behind this".
"The Institute was destroyed by Arthur Maxson's Brotherhood of Steel in the Commonwealth, Elder", Danse shook his head, "I highly doubt that this was them".
"Why? You said yourself that you recognised the code they used, the same code that took over our base".
"Yes, but as I've mentioned before, it's also been greatly modified. Whoever did this did use some Institute methods and knowledge, but as for the rest of it I couldn't say", Danse replied.
McNamara examined him, still wary of Danse as he was an unknown factor in all of this, "Thank you for your input. Could you give my scribe and I a moment of privacy? We need to discuss how to proceed from here"
"Certainly", Danse nodded and made his way out, closing the door behind him to give the two men a chance to discuss their situation. Once he was out of the room, McNamara turned to Ibsen, the creases in his brow deepening as he went over the details in his mind.
"How much do we know about our visitor here?" he asked in a low voice, not wanting his voice to carry out of the room.
Ibsen shrugged, "We know as much as we can. But if you're asking if he may have played a role in the sabotage, then my answer would be highly unlikely".
"Are you certain?"
Ibsen nodded, "Yes. Ramos thoroughly checked him before he entered our bunker, he was assigned two guards to make sure he didn't leave his room and we made sure there were no terminals in his accommodation that he could use to access our database".
"Do you think we can trust him?"
"I don't know Elder", Ibsen shrugged, not used to being asked these kinds of intrusive questions, "I'm not as perceptive in these matters as Ramos is… But Danse hasn't given me any reason not to trust his word or judgement".
McNamara nodded, a resolved look in his eyes, "Alright… That's good enough for me". He was about to go over the details of how their bunker's system was taken over when Ramos interrupted them over their handheld radio.
"Elder, do you have a moment? There's something you need to come take a look at right away", his urgent voice came in through the speaker.
"Can it wait a moment?" McNamara responded back.
"No. But I know you're going to want to hear this yourself", Ramos answered, "Hurry".
"I'll be there in a moment", McNamara replied, wondering what this was all about. Motioning to Ibsen to follow, the two men left McNamara's temporary office and made their way through the hallways in McCarran airport to Ramos' quarters.
"I'm here. What's the urgent matter?"
Ramos was sat in his office chair with a wide grin in front of a Brotherhood long range communication radio they managed to salvage from their bunker's wreckage. It wasn't until a familiar voice crackled through the speakers that McNamara realised why Ramos called him down so urgently.
"Is that Maya?" he asked in an almost hushed surprise.
Ramos nodded, "Here, she wants to speak with you", he added, extending the microphone out to the Elder.
Stunned and with eyes wide in surprise, McNamara quickly accepted it and spoke into it, "Maya? Where are you? Are you alright?"
"I'm alright, yes", her voice replied back, making McNamara sigh in relief, "Daniel and Boone are here with me too… we're in Boston".
"How on Earth did you get all the way to the Commonwealth?" McNamara asked.
"It's a long story, which I'll be happy to fill you in in person", Maya replied, eliciting a perplexed look from the Elder.
"Does that mean you're on your way back?"
"Well… No, not yet. I have a favour to ask of you", Maya's voice hesitated.
"Name it. Whatever you need".
"We're in a bit of a bind with a situation here with the Brotherhood of Steel. I know this is asking a lot, but… We would be in a much better position if we had some backup".
The request took McNamara aback and for a moment he could not think of a way to answer Maya's request, "You want us to come to Boston?"
"Yes… and any NCR personnel you can get Hsu to part with. It's a risky mission we're about to embark on so this has to be voluntary, I don't want people being ordered here".
"Alright, I'll see what I can sway with the General", McNamara nodded, "But it'll be another matter getting to you. The night you were abducted there was an explosion in the aircraft holding area… all the planes that you and the other engineers had worked on are destroyed beyond repair".
"Daniel has several troop deployment Vertibirds that he will send your way. But, as I stated before, this should be a volunteer mission".
"Maya, you'll be hard pressed to find those who wouldn't want to help you in your mission", McNamara tried to reassure her, "Speaking of the mission, what are the details?"
"I'm sorry I can't give them to you verbally as we aren't certain whether or not someone is monitoring our messages, we will transfer the details to you electronically", came Maya's response, "They are encrypted for security reasons, but Ibsen will be able to unlock the information".
McNamara's brow furrowed with concern; whatever was going on Maya's side of the world must be serious if she needed assistance from the Mojave chapter.
"We await your instructions then", he added.
"Great. Thank you, Nolan… I can't tell you how much I appreciate your help".
"That's what we're here for", McNamara replied, finding himself smiling with relief knowing that for now she and the others are safe, "Go ahead and let Daniel know that he can send those Vertibirds our way, and we will get everything ready on our side. In the meantime, stay safe and keep out of trouble".
"We will", Maya's voice reverberated through the speakers, "See you soon Nolan".
With that the transmission ended and the room was silent.
"Well… That was interesting", Ramos commented after they all took a moment to absorb the information and McNamara had a chance to prepare a list of what needed to be done in order to get the ball rolling on Maya's mission.
"Ibsen, stay here with Ramos and wait for Maya's transmission. I want you to start your decryption of the message as soon as you get it; we're going to need all the information we can get".
Ibsen nodded in confirmation and pulled up a chair for himself in front of Ramos' communications terminal.
"Ramos, keep monitoring transmissions. I want to know if we get any status updates from Maya ASAP".
"Already on it Elder", Ramos answered, "Seeing as Daniel will be sending in his Vertibirds, we should notify the base for incoming friendlies".
"Leave that to me. If anyone needs me, radio me on my handheld. I'll be making the rounds in the base and speaking with Hsu about the matter, see if I can persuade him to part with a few troops for a while".
With a preliminary method of attack outlined in his mind, McNamara, Ramos and Ibsen got to work on their tasks preparing everything for their departure. Although the investigation into the sabotage of the Hidden Valley Brotherhood bunker was still ongoing, McNamara couldn't help shake the feeling that somehow the problems they were having in the Mojave were in some way linked with the situation in Boston, the very same place Danse had come from; especially now that they had word back from Maya about a brewing situation.
'I need to speak with Danse and get as much information from him on the situation in Boston as possible', McNamara thought to himself, not wanting to go into a new location blind. That conversation however would have to wait until he spoke with Hsu.
McNamara knew his people though – he knew that every single one of them would be willing to go into Boston with him; he just wondered what the other Brotherhood of Steel in Boston would think seeing his Chapter from the Mojave in their territory. In all his years serving in the Brotherhood of Steel, very rarely did a chapter from one territory go to another Brotherhood's location…let alone interfere with the work they are doing. But he also knew Maya and that if she thought there was something wrong going on, something that she requested aid with (a rarity for her), it was worth checking out. And now it was his job to convince Hsu of this.
"Alright… You ready to do this?", Chuck breathed silently, feeling small beads of perspiration forming on his wrinkled forehead. Though it was an hour after dawn, the dark storm clouds above him and Nora were so thick it felt as if it was still the middle of the night.
They were outside the ruins of Bunker Hill which had been destroyed years ago in the battle between the Brotherhood and the Institute; the only structure that was more or less intact was the tall granite obelisk in the centre. A previously light grey and attractive memorial to the battle of Bunker Hill that had survived the horrors of the bombs over 200 years ago, it was now a scorched structure, dark grey in colour and its surface speckled with crevices and holes of varying sizes… evidence of the fierce battle that took place here not long ago. He quickly looked around them again just to make sure they weren't being watched or followed. Many knew to avoid this place after the battle occurred as there were frequent Brotherhood patrols in and around the area, but even so Chuck wished he could escort Nora closer to the airport; this was as far as he could go without being detected, Nora would have to continue on her own.
Nora nodded confidently but found herself holding in her breath at times, her mind trying to stay on task, "Ready as I'll ever be". Chuck handed her two holotapes: one with the recorded video footage of the Brotherhood of Steel soldiers breaking through Sarah's bunker and turning it upside down in an attempt to find her, the other contained all their mission reports, including voice logs from Sarah in the events before her first assassination attempt in the Capitol to more recent ones before she had to flee from her bunker.
"If everything goes to plan, I'll meet you at this corner within the next couple of hours and give you the signal that it's safe", she spoke in a hushed tone, pulling the collar of her trench coat up to shield her exposed neck from the bitingly cold wind.
"Stay safe", Chuck nodded, handing her a small handheld walkie talkie, "In case of emergency".
She gave Chuck a reassuring smile and accepted the handheld, "You too".
Without another word or before either of them had a chance to allow doubt to change their minds, Nora turned on her heel and followed the road East in the direction of the airport while Chuck hung back and watched her disappear into the distance. Shouldering his scoped rifle, he broke into one of the derelict buildings and took up a position near the window overlooking the street facing a North Easterly direction.
After a long night of back and forth between the Brotherhood of Gold group and with the aid of Nora's incredible abilities of persuasion, Chuck had managed to convince Sarah and Maya to refrain from going to Boston airport in disguise, finding Arthur and revealing themselves to him in an attempt to confront him about the assassination attempt on Sarah. They had a new, more sensible plan now – Nora was going to go to the airport and meet with Maxson as that would arouse less suspicion, on the premise that she has certain information that are for the Elder's eyes and ears only. Once they are alone and in space where they wouldn't be overheard, Nora would reveal to Maxson the events that had taken place and, more importantly, that Sarah is still alive. Judging his reactions to this news and finding out what his involvement in the assassination attempt was, Nora would have to make the call whether Arthur Maxson could be trusted or not. Chuck trusted Nora's instincts in these matters implicitly as she had a natural ability to read between the lines and determine whether or not someone was being genuine.
Until then he would wait in their designated meeting position. Taking out an extra magazine clip from his bag and settling down in front of the window with his rifle resting on his shoulder, Chuck waited for the next phase in their plan to present itself; hoping that they made the right choices.
Gusts of strong wind buffeted against the Prydwen in the early hours of the morning as Arthur Maxson stood in the observation deck, leaning on the metal rail, and looking out at the dismal sight of the Commonwealth beneath him. Dark and oppressive clouds hung over the city as far as the eye could see; a storm was brewing. Arthur's thoughts went back to the days when they first arrived here, remembering the determination and shear will he had to do what needed to be done. Back then everything seemed black and white; now, a couple of years after taking down the Institute, living in the area and getting to explore the region and speak with the Commonwealth's citizens himself, things didn't seem so clear cut anymore. Even though the Brotherhood eliminated the majority of feral ghouls, supermutants and other mutated monstrosities, the people of the Commonwealth were still mistrusting of his faction. Now it appeared that he had to deal with civil unrest was on his hands, with other factions working to undermine the peace the Brotherhood had fought so hard to achieve. He'd hoped that with Nora's help they could find a way to win the popular opinion of the citizens, and Arthur was sure that her idea of using a cure for the FEV against the supermutants to free Boston of those lumbering green monstrosities was going to do just that… And it would have been a success if they hadn't been ambushed and his Vertibirds and mission crew annihilated. With the area still crawling with supermutants and suffering a significant loss of personnel in that mission, they couldn't spare a search and rescue team to trawl through the wreckage to collect their technology, their dead and the survivors...if any.
A quick set of footsteps echoing down the hallway behind roused him out of his displeased musings, but he didn't bother turning; from the gait he knew it was Paladin Hudson.
"Elder, you have a visitor", Hudson notified him.
"Not in the mood right now, Paladin", Maxson answered in a calm voice.
"It's Nora, sir. She says she has some updates for you from the city", Hudson replied, which piqued Arthur's interest.
"Alright… send her in", Maxson exhaled, turning to face the room and placing his arms behind his back in his usual posture as Nora was ushered in.
"Morning Arthur", Nora examined him, "You're up early".
"So are you", he gave her a curt nod, "I see you made it out alright after our…situation a few days ago. What happened out there?"
Nora shrugged, "Nothing I couldn't handle. But I do need to have a word with you… in private", she glanced behind her, noticing all the personnel going about their morning tasks.
Arthur had a mind to demand what this was all about, but the pleading look in her eyes swayed him to comply with her request. He motioned for her to follow him and they made their way outside to the forecastle, a spot he knew they would be away from prying eyes and ears. The strong gusts of wind caught Nora off her guard as they stepped out of the warmth and safety of the Prydwen and he had to grab hold of her arm to steady her.
"Woah! Thanks", she exclaimed, clutching her chest and feeling her heart race. She grabbed hold onto one of the support beams to help keep her balance as the airship gently rocked lightly. Arthur joined her, standing so close to her she could feel the warmth of his breath.
"What was it you wanted to talk about?" Arthur asked, leaning in closer to her so he wouldn't have to yell over the rushing wind.
"This is more than likely going to sound…a bit crazy to you, but I have to ask you some questions about the previous Brotherhood of Steel group you were with".
"I don't understand… This is the only unit I've ever been in", Maxson shook his head, unsure of where she was going with this.
"I'm referring to the Lyons Pride, Arthur", Nora gazed up at him, watching his reactions, "I know you don't like to talk about them… seeing as you see them as having failed the ultimate cause of your faction".
"There's nothing to say about the Lyons Pride", Arthur shook his head, "I was only a child when I was with them, I don't remember much about that time, except from what I'd been told".
"You remember Sarah Lyons though, right?" Nora pushed, noticing his head cock to one side and the gaze of his bright blue eyes softening at the mention of her name.
"Yes… I remember her", Arthur answered. Though he was a man who didn't show much emotion when it came to personal matters, Nora could detect a tone of lament in his otherwise commanding voice.
"What do you remember? About her and the Pride?".
Arthur exhaled in frustration, wondering where this was getting at, "Why are you asking me these questions".
"Because I need to know where you stand on this matter".
"You want to know where I stand on the matter of the Lyons Pride, or on Sarah Lyons?"
Nora gave a curt nod in confirmation, "Both, if you wouldn't mind".
"Fine", Arthur pursed his lips, feeling a tightness in his chest at the memories that came flooding back to him, "I think Elder Lyons was an idealistic fool who wanted to help everyone without considering the risks and repercussions that his actions had on his people and his own family. He squandered the resources of the Lyons Pride until there was hardly anything left for them… However… despite his failings, I looked up to that old man. He was the closest thing I had to a father after my own family was killed".
Nora continued to watch him closely as he recounted his memories, looking for signs that he might know that Sarah and her team were alive; though from initial observation she could see that he was genuine and wasn't aware that Sarah was around.
"You clearly looked up to him", Nora commented in a soft tone.
"Of course I did… I still do, even though I know he's dead", he broke his gaze from her, feeling a sense of awkwardness about opening up this much with her, "But… Everything changed when he died".
"Sarah took over, after her father passed".
Arthur nodded, the creases in his brow deepening and a look she'd never seen on his features before, a combination of sorrow and frustration.
"Yes… she did… And even though she didn't agree with Owyn, she still tried to keep to her father's wishes of helping the citizens and rebuilding the Capitol. She was killed in the field not long after taking up Owyn's mantle", Arthur shook his head, "She was a damn fine soldier, but she couldn't find it within herself to lead without getting involved in battle… she had no intentions of sitting on the side-lines while sending off her people on dangerous missions. After she was gone, there was no one to take charge of our dire situation. The Lyons Pride crumbled away to nothing, with only a mere handful of its survivors still around when I took charge. If it wasn't for Casdin and Defender Morgan, I most likely wouldn't be where I am today".
"I see", Nora added in a hushed tone. Even though he mentioned Casdin and Morgan, two of the individuals that comprised the Outcasts, Nora could see that Arthur still cared about the Lyons Pride.
"Now will you tell me where all of this is coming from?" Arthur asked her, a confused look in his gaze as he examined her.
"Yes, right after you answer one more question", Nora nodded,
"What kind of question?"
"A... hypothetical scenario I have for you", Nora replied, eliciting an eye roll from Maxson, "If you somehow happened to find survivors of the Lyons Pride, the ones who didn't join up when you took over; and if Sarah was there with them… what would you do?"
His gaze locked with Nora's and she could see that he was starting to piece all the hints she was giving him together, "…What?"
"If you had a chance to speak with the Lyons-"
"I heard you", Arthur interrupted her in a low voice, straightening his posture and gazing at her with an intensity that made her feel uncomfortable, "Are you saying…there are survivors in the Commonwealth?"
"Answer my question", Nora replied, meeting his gaze with her own intensity despite his demand.
A long silent moment passed between them as Arthur waited for Nora to crack and reveal what she knew; that moment never came though. Arthur clenched his jaw in frustration with her evasiveness, though he should have known better than to try to intimidate and force her into talking.
"I suppose…if, hypothetically, there were survivors out there… I would try to make contact; make sure they're doing alright, see if they want to join back up again, now that we are more organised", he answered hesitantly, observing her reaction to his reply.
"Do you think the others would approve?", Nora cocked her eyebrow, "Those under your command?"
Maxson's gaze drifted to the door they came through then back at Nora, "I don't know… All I can tell you is they have no respect for the Lyons Pride like I do".
"So much that, maybe... some of them might react negatively if they find out there are survivors?"
"Possibly…", Maxson crossed his arms over his chest, a determined look in his eyes now as he was done answering any more of her hypothetical scenarios, "I think it's about time you told me what's going on".
Nora knew she could trust Arthur as soon as he revealed how he truly felt about Owyn Lyons and Sarah, but she needed to make sure before she made the call to show her hand.
"Here, these are for you", she pulled out two holotapes from the inside pocket of her trench coat.
"What's on them?" Arthur gently took the tapes out of Nora's small hand, examining them for any clues.
"All the answers you were never given about the Lyons Pride", Nora answered, "And… a message from Sarah, to you".
Nora's answer stunned him and Arthur was almost at a loss for words, gazing back at Nora with wide eyes.
"I… Could I…?" he pointed to her PipBoy.
"Of course", Nora unclasped the locking mechanism on her PipBoy and handed it to him so he could listen to the message. She pointed out the right holotape he should insert and watched in silence as he listened to Sarah's message. Upon hearing her voice, Arthur's commanding demeanour and hardened exterior cracked and crumbled, revealing an intimate side to the man Nora had never seen before. His eyebrows raised and gaze softened as he stared intently at Nora's PipBoy, hanging on every recorded word that began to play automatically.
"Arthur, if you're listening to this message, it means our mutual friend has trusted you enough to give these holotapes to you", Sarah's faint voice reverberated through the small speakers. Her message carried on with a brief explanation of what had happened in the Capitol, how she had to fake her own death and be smuggled out of the city when she and her most trusted soldiers found out about Casdin's assassination attempt. Halfway through the message, Arthur was so taken aback by the shear amount of information that he had to sit himself down, resting his back on the metal railing. Nora sat down with him, following along with the message on the tape as well.
"I know this must be difficult for you, hearing all this information, finding out I'm alive after all these years. I wish I could be there to talk to you in person… but we have reason to believe there are members in your chapter that have found out about my survival and that they recently tried to complete their original mission. Recently I was forced to flee for my life from my safehouse bunker in the Commonwealth and seek shelter with the rest of the survivors of Lyons Pride. All of this information, everything I said so far, is available for you to examine in this holotape. We've kept detailed logs of our journey and struggles…as well as a record of all the good people we lost on the way to reach Boston. I don't know what the others, especially Casdin and his bunch, have told you about us… I know that you were just a young boy when you came to us and all hell broke loose. All I ask is that you keep an open mind when you go through this information and make up your own mind. And when you're ready, we can arrange for a reunion. Until then…stay safe Arthur. Sarah Lyons out".
The tape popped back out of the PipBoy when the message completed, but Arthur simply stared at the blank screen, a longing expression in his eyes. Taking a moment to compose himself again, Arthur took the holotape out of the PipBoy and pocketed it in his jacket.
"I need to see them", he said resolutely, turning to Nora, "I need to hear this from them".
"We can arrange it", Nora nodded, "But not before we find out who was behind that assassination attempt. Do you know who could have found out about Sarah on the ship?"
Arthur thought for a moment going through the personnel in his team, before shaking his head, "None that I can think of".
"That's alright… we're just going to have to do a little digging of our own", Nora exhaled, "In the meantime, you have a plethora of information to go through there. They told me they included all the logs the Lyons Pride kept, from the day they arrived in the Capitol to their exodus and beyond".
Arthur ran his thumb pensively over the smooth surface of the second tape in his hand, the lines in his brow deepening, "Alright… I will look into this. In the meantime, I want you to take a message to Sarah".
"What kind of message?"
"That I want to set up a meeting location… I trust you to decide where is safest, seeing as you know the Commonwealth better than I".
His request seemed reasonable and Nora agreed.
"What about the ones who tried to finish the 'job'", Nora hinted at the rogue members who initiated the attack on Sarah's safehouse.
Arthur couldn't come up with an idea of what to do about that situation; but it was clear that the mission must have been carried out by someone who was a high enough rank to issue the order, and the only man he could think of who had that kind of authority, besides himself, was Lancer Camptain Kells.
"Leave that with me", he replied as he got back onto his feet and helped Nora up. The first droplets of rain were beginning to fall as he and Nora ended their conversation. Nora agreed to set up a time and place to meet while Arthur would carry out his own investigation into the matter of Sarah's assassination. It was going to be a difficult and sensitive matter; if there really was a group that was going behind his own back and carrying out unsanctioned missions within the Commonwealth, Arthur needed to tread lightly so as not to reveal his hand. If he did, the repercussions would most certainly blow back onto him, at best resulting in the loss of his position as Elder; if that happened, there would be no one to help Sarah and her people.
Arthur escorted Nora to one of the Vertibirds secured in the hangar platform, informing the pilot that he take her wherever she needed to go.
"Thank you, Arthur", Nora added as she boarded the craft and buckled herself in, "Keep in touch".
"Stay safe, Nora", he nodded back and watched as the aircraft flew off into the distance. He stood there for a moment, savouring the astounding news he'd received. Never in his wildest imagination did he ever expect to hear about Sarah Lyons being alive and well, let alone hear her voice again. Getting to see her again was certainly an added incentive that drove his determination to find out who was behind all the collusion behind his back.