The emergency lights went on.
Chaos ensued in the base. Engineers were marched off by security personal. A deathclaw on the loose was a bad thing.
The deathclaw looked up at Rook, seemingly unfazed by the plasma weapons of the soldiers shooting at him, like he was some sort of super-build resistant against it.
It then growled menacingly before knocking over the enclave soldiers with its tail and starting its pursuit on Rook.
Think...Think...
Morgan desperately looked around. The lighting, the sense of panic, she could take advantage of this somehow...
Everyones depending on you. Gabe, Heather, Garry..
...Rook...
Think damnit!
Using the alarm as a distraction, the Scientist pressed her laser pistol against the back of a soldier's neck before pulling the trigger, sending a fiery hot laser through his neck and bursting out of his throat, causing him to stagger from side to side before falling to the ground.
She then turned to the second soldier and fired several shots into his armoured face plate, until he dropped to the floor.
"C'mon, we've gotta move!" She said, sharply...
Governor ran into the danger.
He knew that where people were running from that prick and lizard would be as well. He held the chip-gun and the deathclaw brain override remote firmly in his hands.
"Rook!" Morgan blurted out simply. "I need him...I gotta save him!"
Most of the Governor Hideout staff had already taken the stairs back up and breathlessly stood around on the ground floor, waiting until everything downstairs had cooled down.
The doors were open, a golden opportunity to escape.
"The Android's just set the Deathclaw loose, bringing the group to him will just slow us all down, him especially." The Scientist insisted, glancing up to the end of the corridor.
"We need to be at the port, ready with a vehicle, for when he escapes."
Gabriel followed, looking around to see if guards were chasing them. Whiskers tried to smell the scent of guards, but no one was following.
I don't want to die, I don't want to die under the hands of the Governor... Gabriel thought.
"I won't leave without him..." Morgan said tearfully. "I-if he...doesn't come back, just leave me here, okay?"
The Scientist sighed heavily, wishing that it had just been the kid and the blonde woman, they at least listened.
She took a hold of Morgan's shoulders, forcing her to make eye contact... well, visor contact.
"Look... I know you're worried for him but the best thing that you can do for him right now is to get out of here, so that he only has to worry about himself. Does that make sense?"
Gabriel looked at Morgan with a crazy look. " I'm not losing you, not again!" Gbariel shouted at her. He was really getting tired of this.
Morgans lips trembled and she reached her hand out, searching for Gabriel. "Okay...But please...we have to wait for him..."
Rook heard the hulking steps of the Deathclaw as it came after him.
Why though, was the question. Rook did not emit any scents for a creature to pick up, and reptiles relied on that primarily. Regardless, he had some training in dealing with Deathclaws, although it would be difficult with his busted knee. He scanned for somewhere to escape to.
He glanced up.
He was too heavy to climb into the ceiling tiles from here, but if he could find a way to displace his weight if only for an instant...
As he passed the elevator, he glanced sideways at it, before dangling off the ledge, and then dropping into the strut that was parallel to the floor, so that he was out of sight. To be spotted, one would have to stick their head down the shaft and look for them, and that of course would warrant them losing it.
The deathclaw braced itself against the walls. Its sharp claws strummed over the floor tiles, as its momentum shifted like an excited dog.
It looked up, trying to smell the thing that had shot his tube and disturbed its 'nest'. But it proved fruitless, there was no scent. In response it roared with anger and ran off the other direction.
Rook listened, not growing anymore concerned as the Deathclaw drew near, just overhead. He remained still, pressed flat against the wall of the shaft, until the beast lost interest. He only moved when the sounds of its own movement fading.
He climbed around the outside of the shaft to the far side, and then clambered up, into the maintenance portion at the very top of the shaft. He moved across, still gripping the walls, his injured leg dangling below him, until he reached a grate, that led into the airducts. Rook obviously wouldn't fit, so he instead kicked out the dry way to the grates right, and then scurried through the hole like a mouse. Now above the ceiling tiles, he went prone, and began to army crawl in the direction he saw Morgan had gone.
It didn't take long before Rook got suddenly blasted out of the air vents. The noise his crawling made gave him away quite clearly. Now lying on his chest his nose almost touched the boots of Colonel Governor.
He had a special gun trained on him.
Before the android could make things worse the colonel bent forward and shot him in the neck. A little transparent capsule stuck out of his jugular, after it had drilled itself into his 'bloodstream' the capsule released the fluid it was holding, which apparently was a sort of liquid chip that overrode his programming.
Governor grinned, slightly out of breath.
"Welcome to the Enclave... Rook."
Rook twitched, facial muscles spasming as the chip did its work, and his body went rigid. The process took a total of maybe seven seconds, before the android shoved himself to his feet. He glanced around, his vision flickering as it changed IFF tags and incorporated the new data from the Enclave's network.
Enclave AI programming, most possibly based on the ZAX series of acritical intelligence, over rid personality, databases, and function. For all intents and purposes, Rook belonged to the United States of America.
"Reporting for duty, sir." Rook said to the governor in a flat voice, then saluted, under the impression he was a special forces operative. That was, of course, at the base of things, his function.
"Good."
Governor got out his pocket knife and violently tore off Rook's face, until only the gaunt exoskeleton's skull remained. It had taken more than 'one' pull. But it was worth it, removing all sense of personality from this android, on a superficial level.
"Report yourself to the Lab. We'll upgrade you."
Governor didn't seem pleased though.
"Meanwhile... I got to hunt down this Deathclaw."
Rook did not flinch as his humanity was snatched from him. In fact, it did not even appear as if he noticed.
Rook then marched himself back to the lab, like a good soldier.
"These two stuck out like a sore thumb, you're lucky I found them and not one of the others. " The Scientist replied, turning back to Heather, who was fussing over Garry's face.
"Now we're going to have to make a move for the docking bay, how's your friend?"
"I'm fine... Got worse than this when I was a kid." The Wastelander insisted, gently brushing Heather aside.
"We gotta go, find this 'docking bay' thing."
Morgan rose to her feet, holding Gabriels hand tightly. "Right. L-let's get moving..."
He'll be okay, Morgan. He's never let you down...
The Scientist nodded before marching onwards towards the 'docking bay.'
"I've been studying the security here, I know a few blind spots. Just stay close to me and try not to fall behind, I don't want to risk getting hurt or risking anyone else getting hurt."
Gabriel smiled and looked at Morgan. "I wonder what Rook is doing." Gabriel wondered. He then smiled at his pet; Whiskers snorted happily.
Governor tracked the beast down into the lonesome corridors.
His face had gone from cool and calculated to bloodshot and almost 'plain evil'.
He followed the trail of water and blood.
Until it tracked the beast down, gorging on some poor soul. It noticed almost immediately that it was being watched and snarled at the colonel.
He stuck out his remote from across the corridor and pressed the button. The beast's beany little eyes widened for a split second before it got a shock of 100.000 volts right into its brain. Frying it instantly. The beast tumbled down lifelessly on the corpse it had just been feasting on.
Governor sighed, but not for the loss of his men, but for the loss of another weapon. Still... He had a new toy to play with now.
Morgan slowly trudged along behind this...scientist, with Gabriel by her side. "He'll be...trying to find us. H-he's going to find us." She added, trying to reassure herself.
"Sorry, I wasn't able to do introductions... What are your names?" The Scientist asked as she made a hard right, beginning her descent down the stairwell.
The base seemed to be calming down. Seemed like the danger had waded, for the most part.
"My name's Gabriel..." Gabriel whispered, walking alongside Morgan. whiskers went slowly behind Gabriel.
"Morgan..." Morgan said quietly. She was rather unfocused and kept glancing back at the way they came.
Please...be okay...
"I'm Garry, she's Heather." The Wasterlander replied, holding his head back as his 'friend' dabbed his nose with a rag.
"Well, I'm Scribe Eastwood of the Brotherhood of Steel, I had to break my cover to save you people, so I hope that you appreciate that."
Morgan nodded, turning fully to look back now.
Something is very wrong. He'd have f-found me by now...
Gabriel turned around, and saw Morgan turned around. "Morgan, are you okay?" Gabriel asked worried. Whiskers turned around also, snorting.
"I am just..." Morgan sighed, putting on a brave face. "I'm fine."
Gabriel nodded and continued forward, Whiskers just staring at Morgan, snorting and happily walking around.
Rook had interesting data files. He suddenly had a textbook of U.S history, but found himself most interested in the military aspect of it.
He had other memories, memories of him, but they did not interface well with his new ones, so he pushed them aside, hiding them in the darkest recesses of his mind.
He taught himself U.S military combat operations, tactics, and strategies in the blink of an eye, and then went on to develop himself.
I have a name... no... I need a name.
He did a quick scan for the most American one. It was easy in his expansive database, he simply selected the most common first and surname.
John Smith. Is that who I am? Who am I?
I have an identity... I am someone... no... I need an identity.
He was a soldier of the special branch for the Enclave Armed Forces, formerly the Delta Squad of the United States Military. Yes... that sounded right.
Airman John Smith.
Rook reached up and touched what remained of his face. The skin abruptly ended at the sides of his cheek bones, leaving him featureless. He prodded the skeletal structure of his nose, the metal of his chin.
Not worried by it, just curious.
He stood to attention when the Governor strode in. "Airman John Smith awaiting orders, sir." Rook said, already utterly convinced of who and what he was.
Morgan continued to follow on, albeit reluctantly and a litle half-heartedly. Her worries only grew with every step she made.
He must be lost because we keep moving...
Or...or maybe he can't move! Maybe he's all alone, waiting for me to come help him, and I can't? Oh Lord...Rook...
She hung her head and bit her lip, still trying to be strong in front of Gabriel.
If I'd just stayed behind...o-or if I'd just died before he realised there were others...
It's my fault he's hurt. I-I hurt him!
Hurt them all...
"Morgan?" Heather asked, seeing that she was struggling somewhat.
"Are you okay?"
Morgan shook her head, looking up to Heather with tear filled eyes. "I'm w-worried..."
Gabriel turned around and saw Morgan with tears in her eyes. "Morgan, come on, let's go tell everybody to look for Rook, we might as well do it seeing how scared you are." Gabriel said. Whiskers licked her leg, trying to make her feel better.
"I know, I used to get like this when Garry went hunting but he always came back..." The Former Slave assured her, sighing lightly as she looked ahead.
"Rook will, I know it... He's unstoppable, especially when you're involved."
Morgan picked up Whiskers, and clung to him. "We cannot go look, not now the alarms off. I-I know this..." She whispered sadly. "I just hope I... I hope he isn't dead..."
"He won't be... It would take a lot more than the Enclave to do that." Heather assured her, prompting Garry to look over his shoulder.
"Yeah... He's a tough son'va bitch." The Former slaver agreed, backing her up, however, Heather didn't seem to appreciate it.
"Head back mister."
Garry sighed and threw his head back as instructed, though he felt stupid, not being able to see where he was walking.
"Still, he has a point."
"They have plasma...power armour...numbers..." Morgan stated, her voice growing shakier. "If th-there is any worst place to be for an Android, it's here."
"If it makes you feel any better, most of the soldiers are very inexperienced. I doubt that any of them have faced anything half as capable as Rook before." Scribe Eastwood assured her as they finally reached the bottom of the stairs.
"Just... Don't worry until we know that something's wrong, okay? So far, everything's going according to plan, all that Rook has to do is make it outside and then we're golden and from what I've seen of you four, that shouldn't be a problem."
Morgan rested her chin on Whiskers head. "I just wish we never came to this place. We coulda left for the West..."
"Well... Someone had to stop these guys and we still can, right?" Heather replied, hoping to keep hope alive.
"I doubt it..." Morgan mumbled. "We didn't even get the information we came for..."
"What did you come for?" Eastwood asked, wondering why this ragtag group of misfits were in this base to begin with.
"The Psychotronic needle they are building atop Empire State..." Morgan confirmed, racking her brain for the reason they were here.
"We came to get information to disable it."
"Really? Huh... The Brotherhood were interested in it as well, trust me, there was a lot of data, most of it wouldn't make any sense to anyone who didn't know what to look for." The Scribe replied, looking around to make sure that they weren't being followed.
"I'd love it, if it wasn't a device to enslave everyone."
"It needs to be destroyed, so...I don't see why we couldn't have just gone to ES and blew the thing up..." Morgan sighed.
"Well, it is the tallest building in the world, I don't think that blowing it up would be easy, even for the Brotherhood. You'd need a pretty big bang to do it..." The Scribe replied, keeping her attention forward.
"We would just need to blow up the machine, not the whole building..." Morgan retorted quietly, wondering if every military organisation was full of idiots.
"Oh, forgive me for not being able to figure out which thing you were referring to." Eastwood mocked, glad that Morgan wasn't grieving anymore, at least not openly.
"Mm..." Morgan grumbled. Usually she would retort, but right now, she just wasn't in the mood, so she just fell silent, getting lost in her worries.
Governor checked up on Rook.
"How are you feeling?" The colonel asked the android as engineers were busy measuring him.
"Fit for duty, sir."
"No... Not yet" Governor disagreed slyly.
He picked up a needle that lay next to him on a tray.
They were in some sort of advanced surgical room. Rook was being strapped into a sort of harness that allowed the robotic arms around him equipped with welders, lasers and placers to 'upgrade him'.
"As you say, Colonel."
"We'll turn you into something more... Useful." Governor continued.
"However the process will take time."
The colonel then looked over to one of the engineers.
"Let me know when he's ready..."
The engineer nodded in response.
"I think I'm going to rest for a while. Our operation cannot be jeopardized, not now we are so close to control over New York City."
"Understood, sir."
Rook was fastened into the machine, which he just looked curiously at, not really suspicious of anything. The lasers came first. The peeled back the surface of his skin, so that it became a raw red. Rook, once again, did not show he felt anything. The Enclave 'reboot' had made destroyed any progress he'd made in the way of actually feeling pain. They installed the simple thing's first, integrating them straight into his hide. They ruthlessly drilled a hole into his chest, so that they could get to the endoskeleton, and implanted an auto-repair system. Minor upgrades came next, before they finally got to the good stuff.
First, they reinforced his joints, putting extra motorized powering over his elbows and knees. On top of that, they installed the flexible armour plating, first in a thin under layer, simply bolting it straight to the rendered flesh. They concealed weapons came next- a protonic blade that rested on top of his left wrist, and extended outwards; and a series laser weapon miniaturized so that they could fire from several different locations on his body. All this was covered with the next layer of armour, just as flexible, but denser, and heavier. It suctioned with an airtight seal to the first layer, and would provide enormous protection against most small rounds but, and was resistant laser and plasma discharges. But, most importantly, it had a built-in system that disrupted and redirected EMPs, severely reducing their effectiveness in scrambling Rook's systems.
A ballistic fist that fired high-density sniper rounds instead of those from a 12-gauge shotgun was installed onto his right forearm, and mounted launchers had been ingrained into the shoulders of his armour that fired micro-missiles. As if that wasn't enough, a 20mm M61 Vulcan Minigun had been mounted onto the top of his back. Steel bars rested over his spine and shoulder blades that had several more bars spiderwebbing between them to support the weapon that would fire over the top of his left shoulder.
The helmet came last, a shapeless thing with a visor that improved his targeting systems, removing the need for scopes or sights for his weapons. He was given a M21 sniper rifle (standard issue for the U.S Army) for hardware along with a 12.7 millimetre submachine gun.
With all weapons installed and equipped, he was released from the machine, and put through trial phases to test out his new gear. But, other than that, it was safe to say that Rook was now a killing machine, if he ever wasn't.
An engineer leered over to him.
"Can you move?"
Rook could do more than that. He leapt down onto both feet, which sounded like someone whacking a pipe with a wrench.
He was a little unbalanced at first, but soon steadied himself.
"Good." The engineer approved, after which he noted something down on his notepad.
"Can you move your neck for me, please?"
He twisted it side to side and then nodded up and down.
"Excellent." Again, he scrabbled something down.
After the platform Rook was standing on slowly turned and halted rather without fanfare in front of a shooting range.
"Let's see if you're still calibrated correctly. Hit the green targets as they appear."
Soon after several targets appeared from the ceiling. Some orange, some green.
Rook lifted his arm and examined it for a moment, like he was unsure how to fire it. The control over the majority of his weapons had been directed to his brain, so it would be like flexing a new muscle.
There was a long pause before the first shot rang out- a clean hit through the center of the first target. After that, the targets didn't stand a chance.
The engineer looked on as the Battle-Android used his new arsenal flawlessly. After a few more tests, Rook was deemed fit for active service. Little Enclave symbols adorned almost every part of his new body. As if it weren't obvious already.
"Report to Colonel Governor. He wishes to speak to you."
Rook did as he was told and marched himself to the colonel. He drew stares and looks of awe as he passed, but no one was surprised. It was obviously big news that they had captured an Android. He found the Governor's office and knocked on the door without much ado.
"Come in." A stern voice allowed from the other side of the door.
Sure, they might've lost their Deathclaw and a couple of men just recently, but those 'sacrifices' were well worth the reward. Or so Governor liked to think.
Rook stepped in and closed the door behind him before standing at attention.
"At ease, soldier." Governor said. Trying to keep a devilish grin hidden. The office looked neat and classic, a big contrast against all the grey and dark metal. Most of it had already been there from before the great war. Governor seemed to feel quite at home in this basement, after all... Governor Island used to be a US Military Fort once.
It was probably obvious at this point that Governor was not his real name.
"It seems the boys in the lab have patched you up with quite some skill." The Colonel complimented.
"Sir, yes, sir." Agreed Rook. The helmet gave his voice a metallic, robotic tinge, similar to how one would speak through a power armour helmet. "I'm cocked, locked, and ready to rock, sir." He said with enthusiasm. Perhaps the only good the Colonel's 'update' did for him was make him sound like an actual human.
"Your first assignment is to eliminate the intruders on this island." The Colonel ordered Rook.
"Godspeed."
Eastwood lead the four of them out into the courtyard, heading straight for the docking bay. She didn't know if there would be a boat waiting but she had checked the schedule and hadn't seen any booked for today.
They just had to avoid the search lights...
"Urgh... Would've been better if you were all in disguises..."
"Didn't work too well for me..." Morgan said quietly, glancing behind her again.
"Maybe not up close but from a distance it would have been ideal." The Brotherhood Scribe sighed as she spied a boat at the end of the peer.
"Ah, I see one!"
"We have to wait..." Morgan whispered, stopping dead in her tracks. "I can't leave without Rook."
Eastwood looked over her shoulder, nodding quite sternly, after a long pause.
"Of course, we've got time..." She replied, sounding like she had no intentions of leaving without him.
Morgan sat down, falling silent as she stared, hopefully back at the way they came.
He's bound to be right behind us...
The group sat in silence as they waited for the Android, several moments passed as the reality slowly began to sink in.
The Scribe glanced up to Morgan, who's gaze was fixed on the main door to the complex, eager to see if Rook was going to make it.
In truth, Eastwood did want to save Rook, an Android was a technological marvel and the Brotherhood could learn so much from their software and hardware, it was just a shame that the people who made them were such dicks...
Heather decided to take a seat by Morgan's side, observing the loading bay with her as she awaited his return, with a great deal of anticipation.
She slowly looked over to Morgan, trying to keep a brave face, even though she was starting to lose hope.
"I'm sure he won't be long now..."
Morgan nodded, not losing faith in her Android, not yet...
"He's lost probably. He'll...he'll be fine. It'll all be okay..."
Right?
"Well, he does treat combat very seriously... Maybe he's just gotten carried away, shooting Uncave." Heather shrugged, knowing next to nothing about the Enclave, other than their names that were mentioned a few moments ago.
"He wouldn't do that, if I wasn't around. He's trying to get back to me, I know it." Morgan whispered. Her eyes made her look incredibly sad however.
A sign she was giving up hope.
Heather nodded, turning her attention back to the area that they were expecting Rook to depart from, just wanting this to go right for her.
Eastwood eventually saw the time and ended up standing, wandering over to Garry as she began to have a private discussion with him.
"He's coming back." Morgan said to herself, her eyes welling up now. "He isn't dead. He i-isn't."
"What is their last known location?"
"I don't know... They got away in the confusion. But they're probably still on the island. There aren't a lot of ways to get off."
Governor admitted with a bad taste in his mouth, this was humiliating and had never happened before.
"Comb over the Island, see what you can find."
Rook saluted to the Colonel. "Sir." He then walked out and away on his mission.
Once outside he looked around, wondering what the intruder's goal was.
They're trying to escape. It was quickly obvious. They'd gotten more than they'd bargained for and now they wanted to get off the island.
The docks.
He laughed to himself, the first laughter of a life time. "Too easy." What a simple mission. Four targets. Four bullets.
He took off for the docks at a dead sprint, never faltering in his approach.
Garry slowly approached Morgan and knelt down in front of her, he didn't not look like he had good news...
"Morgan... We've gotta go..."
Morgan shook her head. "We can't! He...he ain't here yet! He may be crawling his way to us! H-his legs might have been blown off! I can't leave!"
"Morgan... I'm sorry, I really am but the longer we're out here, the longer we're just waitin' for them to find us. If Rook... Hasn't made it, then he'd want you to get out." The Former Slaver said as tactfully as possible.
"Morgan, we might die, we have to leave." Gabriel whispered. He obviously felt bad for Morgan.
"Then go without me!" Morgan pleaded. "He wouldn't abandon me. I... I can't abandon him! Not right now!"
"Morgan... You know that we can't do that, if they find you, they'll kill you!" Eastwood insisted, getting a dirty look from Garry for some reason as she moved around to face Morgan.
"Look... I know this feeling; I know how painful it is but you have to trust us and Rook."
Over a near, but low, hill a lone figure danced into view, obscured by the fading sun and natural fog. It was moving towards them at a walk.
"Someone's spotted us." Morgan said, pointing to the figure walking towards them, shrouded by the fog. "Just...go."
The figure drew closer, finally gaining a distinct shape. The mounted machine guns. The sniper slung over its shoulder. The blank visor built into the intimidating helmet. The thin but sturdy armour covering a powerful body.
Eastwood gently took Morgan's plasma rifle as she got ready to face whatever was coming their way. She didn't like the look of it, it did not look friendly.
Morgan stood up, narrowing her eyes and wiping them to clear her vision. "Miss...Eastwood? Were there any other androids on the Island?"
Please, say yes...
"As far as I'm aware?" The Scribe paused, not relishing in giving this news to the grieving woman.
"No..."
The machine came to a stop 20 metres away.
"You got a lot farther than you should've," the android taunted, "but then... you haven't met Airman John Smith either. Your ride's over, degenerates. I want you all to give yourselves up. Easier that way." I don't have to waste a bullet. He'd finish this with his blade.
Gabriel turned around at EastWood and gave her a weird look. "If there is no other android, is that Rook?" Gabriel asked everybody. He looked at the figure, a bit scared.
Is he okay? Gabriel thought.
Whiskers looked at the person, and made a mean snorting noise, and backed away behind Gabriel.
Morgans eyes widened and she stepped forwards, holding her hand out.
Rook...
"Oh, Rook. What have they done to you...?"
"Drop your weapons, motherfuckers." Was Rook's loving response.
Scribe Eastwood raised her rifle, pointing the coil at the Android's chest, her hands were firm and she didn't seem remotely hesitant.
"No, don't!" Morgan pleaded, getting in between Rook and Eastwood. She turned to face the latter, her yes pleading. "Please. Don't. D-don't hurt him..."
Gabriel glared at the robot. "You come back to reality, your Rook, the android who is on our side, not Governors, do you remember your own name, it is Rook." Gabriel said. Whiskers snorted at the android, and he was ready to attack
Rook didn't raise his weapons. He didn't need to. There were technically already seven or so pointed in their direction.
"Last chance. After that you have a rendezvous with my little friends, and they all run faster than you can."
Scribe Eastwood narrowed her eyes, curling her finger around the trigger as she readied her shot. She squeezed it, firing the green ball of plasma at the Android's face.
"No!" Morgan gasped, wincing as the plasma flew over her head. "H-how! How could you!? G-go! Just...fucking get on the boat and go! Now!"
"Bitch!" Snarled Rook, holding up his arm to absorb the slow-moving bolt. He brought his submachine gun to waist level and opened fire on the group. "Just like you to try a trick like that! But it won't work... nothing will!"
"No, I'm not leaving you Morgan, all of us don't want to leave you! Get over your head threatening us, now get to cover!" Gabriel shouted. He tried to find any cover to avoid bullets.
Eastwood ignored Morgan and took another shot, this time aiming at the Android's chest as Garry drew his shotgun and took a shot.
Heather rushed over to Morgan and grabbed her, pulling her to the ground to avoid the gunfire.
"Morgan! Start the boat up, so that we can get out of here! The sooner we can get out, the less fighting there will be!" Scribe Eastwood called, taking another shot at Rook's chest.
Morgan glanced at Heather, rather tearfully before running off to the boat, serpentine'ing to avoid as many bullets as she could. Though, she was running with a limp, so was rather slow...
Rook moved sideways, running as he fired to avoid Eastwood getting directly shots. The resistance of his armour was flawless, dispelling and absorbing the heat of the plasma. It hardened and heated up briefly when it absorbed the bolt, but without sustaining direct hits to the same spot, it held up well. He singled Eastwood out as his primary target and lined up his submachine gun at her, letting off a stream of continuous fire.
Gabriel then got his chance to get the Android. Gabriel ran up to Rook and the hopped onto his back covering his eyes, trying to spare some time, and then cut his back.
Gabriel's knife bounced off the armour plating. Rook tore Gabriel off his back like he was doll and threw the boy onto the ground with force, before raising his boot over the boy's head to crush it, still firing at Eastwood, trying to force the scribe into cover.
Gabriel rolled over, and got up, hopping at the front of Rook, and tried to cut his helmet, and jumped behind him, cutting his back again.
Garry jumped up and took a shot at Rook's torso, whilst he had one foot in the air.
Rook stumbled from the shotgun blast. It was ballistic resistant armor, and the sharpnel embedded itself in his metal armour.
Rook covered, turned his attention to Garry, and was about to blow his head off, when Gabriel became suicidal.
The knife was still ineffective. It appeared it was not dense or strong enough to make a cut. Rook easily caught Gabriel by the throat, being much faster and stronger than the thirteen-year-old, and squeezed, beginning the process of crushing his trachea. Gabe did, however, bring the heat off Eastwood.
Gotta get out...He'd not want you to die...
Morgans hands trembled as she fumbled around with the boat controls. She looked at the switches and lights, pressing them all in sheer panic.
"How can I fix him, if I die, right?" She asked herself over the gunfire, finally finding the ignition.
"He's counting on you."
Gabriel eyes widened and he started to try and hit Rook's arm, but no use. Suddenly Whiskers charged over and jumped on Rook's back, being a distraction.
Rook extended his protonic blade, and stabbed it behind his back, slicing open Whisker's leg. Both molerat and boy were too weak and small to be effective against the military android.
Whilst Gabriel was being strangled, Scribe Eastwood reloaded her plasma rifle and rose to her feet, blasting him repeatedly with half a clip of hot plasma, aiming for his chest and head, whilst Garry took a shot at him with his hunting rifle, aiming for the Android's eyes.
Whiskers made a loud sound before falling down. Everything then started to go black, but he could still see.
I'm going to die... Gabriel thought.
Rook roared as both opened fire on him, and he dropped Gabe to the ground. He charged at Garry, turning the thick armour of his back to Eastwood, and viciously slashed at the ex-slaver with his blade.
There was a loud bang, and a clatter as Morgan fired her weapon from the boat. With rather incredible accuracy, a harpoon arced over the field of battle, heading straight for Rooks head. "Gabe! Get in the boat!" She ordered, gesturing at everyone to get the fuck on the boat.
"C'mon!"
Garry leant back and fired with his rifle again, knocking himself down to the ground and narrowly avoiding Rook's blade.
Eastwood took a shot at the back of Rook's knee, hoping to bring him down.
Gabriel gasped, and had a hard time breathing for a minute, before getting up and tending to Whiskers. Gabriel tried to pick up Whiskers, and tried to hide. Gabriel went very slowly, and dropped Whiskres to the ground. Gabriel then started to take deep breaths, having a few times of not breathing and then started to work on Whiskers leg. Whiskers made a loud shriek, but stopped trying to fight against Gabriel. Gabriel then looked at Rook, giving him a glare.
Gabriel picked up Whiskers and tried to go for the boat, using his strength. Finally, Gabriel got there and went in, and then tended back to Whiskers, and started to cry.
"There they are!"
A distant voice yelled as flashlights lit the way to them.
The harpoon hit Rook's helmet, just as the bolt hit his knee. The force of the blast tripped him onto one knee and the harpoon glanced off his helmet with disorienting force, actually rendering him vulnerable.
Garry lifted his rifle up once more, taking advantage of Rook's vulnerability. He took his aim and then fired, hoping to bring the Android down.
Scribe Eastwood kept her sights trained on Rook, while Heather turned back around and got on the boat, aiming her caravan shotgun down the ramp.
"C'mon!"
Rook's back-up had arrived.
Plasma haphazardly flew past the intruders as the incoming Enclave soldiers had little time to line up shots.
"I'm sorry...Rook." Morgan winced, feeling absolutely horrid for making him vulnerable. "Garry, come on!"
The hunting rifle, developed to kill large game, slammed into Rook's helmet at over 3400 feet per second, point-blank range. There was a resounding clang, like someone hitting a gong. Rook crumpled onto his back; his machinery scrambled from the force of the blow. The effect was similar to dropping a computer on the ground.
Gabriel looke up at Morgan, and looked back down.
She's sorry? I'm going to have to talk to her... Gabriel thought, He got out stimpaks and covered up Whiskers leg. Gabriel looked at the android, and shook his head.
Scribe Eastwood's eyes widened as she hopped the fence, rushing over to Rook's side as she took his arm, pulling him up.
"C'mon!" She snapped at Garry, prompting him to scramble up to his feet and join her, taking Rook's other arm as they began to drag him towards the boat.
Heather raised her combat shotgun and began to fire on the re-enforcements.
Wait!
"Don't bring him! He might have had trackers added to his body!" Morgan bellowed. "I need...I need time!"
"They're getting away! Shoot!"
Another salvo of plasma was shot. The boat's metalwork was being eaten away by the heat.
"Woah! Gabriel looked around him. "Just hurry up, now!" Gabriel shouted. He tended back to Whiskers, and fixed his leg. Whiskers looked around too.
"If he has trackers, I can disable them, trust me, they haven't had enough time to do anything too brilliant." Naomi called, dragging Rook onto the boat.
"Do you want him to live or not?"
"Of course, I do!" Morgan snapped. "We're...going to have to find a way to restrain him though." She glanced back, waiting on one more guy.
"Garry, hurry the fuck up!"
"Morgan, he is a tough android, he'll kill us, and restraining him won't do a thing, leave him on the island!" Gabriel shouted, before looking back at Whiskers. He sighed and shook his head again.
"I'm already on the fuckin' ship!" Garry snapped, firing another shot at the re-enforcements.
"Right, we all here? Good! We're fucking leaving!" Morgan rallied, grabbing the ships wheel and gently easing it out. She'd never steered a ship before, and the sweat from the heat of the constant plasma dripped into her eyes.
"Would have been easier to leave him! I really need time to work out how to fix him!"
"Can't belive this, I don't know why you kept him, he almost killed me and Whiskers!" Gabriel shouted. He then started to cry and cover his eyes, and just st
I can't belive you Morgan, I trusted you once again and looked what happend... Gabriel thouught.
Whiskers started to snort and made a weird noise, and then looked at Gabriel.
A plasma bolt hurtled past the boat and hit one of the Underwater mines up ahead, a huge cloud of water and vapor rose up in the sky, seconds later it rained down on the boat.
"Careful, those mines are finite. We can't risk our main defences!" An officer shouted at the soldiers.
"Well, we do have two tech experts, I think they can come up with a solution!" Garry snapped at the kid, ducking down as the mine exploded behind him.
"Shut up Garry, not the time for you to snap at me!" Gabriel shouted back. Whiskers snorted angirily at Garry and went to sleep.
"This isn't the time to be arguing either!" Heather replied, looking over to Morgan.
"Morgan needs to concentrate, so I think that you two should just... Hush up!"
"Actually, if you two could hush up and come over here, I think that I have a job for you."
Eastwood turned around, seeing the Android lay out on a table as she furrowed her brow, it was difficult to see under her visor though.
"I already have..."
"Gabe, I wanted to leave him, 'til I could figure it out..." Morgan said honestly, shutting up since she had to concentrate to navigate the literal minefield below them.
"I'm not helping, I'm taking care of Whiskers, not going to care about a robot that almost killed me..." Gabriel whispered. He also made a face when Heather finished his sentence.
"Gabriel, do what Heather says. It will help us when we get out of here. We need to hide." Morgan instructed.
"Yeah, well if you don't want this 'robot' to try killing you again, then you might want to help me." Scribe Eastwood Called as Garry went over to join her.
"Go on Gabriel, I can fix Whiskers, I've tended to worse wounds before." Heather replied, with a smile, ignoring the fact that he had just pulled a face at her.
Gabriel sighed before picking up Whiskers and giving him to Heather. He walked over and stood there looking down. "So, what should we do with this killer robot?" Gabriel asked, obviously angrier.