The raiders had situated the camp behind the staircase descending into the metro. The concrete rail around the staircase providing a solid chest high wall defending the camp from the north. The buildings surrounding the camp on all the other sides still had solid facades even if the interiors had long crumbled away.

It was relatively secure as any attackers would need to approach from the north where they were afforded no cover. Nor were there any good elevated positions to overlook from the north. It also looked like the raiders were putting up walls and tents in the small alcove the urban terrain afforded them. They clearly intended to stay in the location for a long time.

In the middle of the camp there was a large metal frame close to the armour. It seemed to be in just a standing configuration rather then being raised in the air on the frame. There was a woman who had the curious fashion sense to only be dressed in a leather jacket, a pair of welding goggles and a lacy thong. Despite operating a welding torch and attaching a layer of rusted metal mesh to the power armour.

There were a few picnic tables pushed together on one side of the camp that was covered in weapons, boxes of ammo and various tools and supplies. There were six people sitting around a radio. With the lady at the power armour that made seven but there were also tents I could not see inside. There were also plenty of blind spots from my position where there could be more people.

I focused a formula on my fingers hardening and sharpening my nails while reinforcing my bones so they would not be turned to powder with what I intended to do. Then I focused my magic on another spell formula. Using the beta core of my computation orb without harmonisation was sort of like patting your head while rubbing your belly and doing long equations all at once but it was not a very complex formula anyway.

I made my way to a building that had crumpled on the inside and fed some magic into my boot to throw myself upwards before slamming my hand into the sheer surface of the concrete façade. Carrying my own weight was hardly a problem. Even with all the long stick magazines I was carrying. I had eight of them now. Sewn into my flight suit so I would not run out of ammo for my SMG.

I climbed up until I reached a section of the façade that stuck out enough for me to shimmy across to the encampment. I kept my nails lightly dug into the crumbling concrete and a few low ebb of magic in my boot for stability. I glanced down at the camp just to make sure that no one was bothering to look up for some reason and content that I was not going to be discovered I began to shimmy down towards a large military style tent that had gotten quite a few patches over the years but was in surprisingly good condition.

I heard a sudden wave of cheers and my blood froze for a moment before I heard the radio turned on full blast and music began to belt out into the camp. I drew my bayonet and dug into the side of the tent. Slowly cutting downwards to make an incision large enough to climb though without being seen.

"Hey everybody, did the news get around
About a guy named Butcher Pete!"

Stepping though into the dark tent I could hear soft breathing and shifting coming from some rusted metal bunks laid out. It was almost too easy. I approached the first sleeper, he had cultivated a long beard and had painted the rest of his face blue for some reason. He also had a bolt action hunting rifle lent up against his bunk.

I leant over him with my blade and with the ill grace that can only come with a tool much too large for the job ran the bayonet over the man's throat digging in with magically augmented strength to make it relatively quick.

"Oh, Pete just flew into this town
And he's choppin' up all the women's meat."

Everyone dies differently and it's never all that dignified. This man decided to instantly press himself back opening up the wound in his neck even wider and spraying absolutely everything around him in blood. I wiped my face in my sleeve but only managed to smear it over my face even more. There was a groan and shifting behind me that made me whip around bayonet extended.

"He keeps hackin' and whackin' and smackin'
He keeps hackin' and whackin' and smackin'"

"Turn that fucking radio down!" The women who had woken up behind me blinked when she saw me. I decided to be nice and slowly raised a finger to my lips and gave her a smile to calm her down. I had no problem taking prisoners if they wanted to surrender.

For some reason she started screaming.

"He keeps hackin' and whackin' and smackin'
He just hacks, whacks, choppin' that meat"

I darted forward and slammed my weapon into her chest causing her to gasp in surprise and crumple in on herself when I pulled it out. Then before I could lose the intuitive, I dug into my pocket for my pistol. Holding it out in my left hand as a man with a golf club of all things ripped away the cloth door to the tent to see what was going on and got a few bullets to the chest for his trouble.

"Butcher Pete's got a long sharp knife
He starts choppin' and don't know when to stop."

There was a terrible moment where the radio was turned off and I heard the pneumonic thump of the power armour doing something on the other side of the thin tent. I quickly created a shield formula and because it's better to avoid being shot even if you have a shield up, I threw myself to the ground.

"SHOOT!"

The sound of several automatic guns emptying themselves in my general direction neatly summed up just how badly I had botched the infiltration. I had hoped to create a complex explosive formula for the raiders around the radio and disable the power amour before the fight began. A true artillery spell was a bit beyond my current computation orb output. But with how difficult it was to keep my shield up working on anything complex on my second core was out of the question.

I sheathed my blade and holstered my pistol before unshouldering my SMG. When there was a pause in the gunfire it was characterised by the near automatic reloading of firearms that any fighter quickly became accustomed after surviving many battles. I supposed it was silly of me to disregard the competence of raiders even if they had not received military training. Anyone who survived lots of firefights likely had some degree of competence.

I quickly got my feet under me and reenforced my shield before charging though the shredded tent into the camp. I allowed a second formula to heighten my senses and reaction time but it was almost disappointing how the world around me did not nearly slow as much as it would with a more powerful orb.

I kept the trigger depressed and let the slow rate of fire to dictate how I would move my gun from one raider to the next. Cloth and flesh would ripple as a neat hole was punched into the unfortunate man or women I directed my SMG towards. I was mostly though with the first magazine when my shield began to strain and spark from the surviving raiders reacting to my attack.

I danced away from the gunfire and slipped behind a stone pillar that was only so effective because of my small form. I unloaded the mostly spent magazine and slammed a new one home before the first could hit the ground. There was a whirring sound and stomping and I turned just in time to see the power armour baring down upon me.

I sent a jolt of magic into my boot, letting myself get thrown roughly back as the armoured women passed though the steel reenforced concrete pillar as if it was not even there. I fired into the armour watching, predictably, as the .45 caliber rounds glanced off or left almost imperceptible dents in the metal plate armour.

I fed some magic into my boot in order to soften my landing and then abandoned the formula speeding up my reaction time in order to quickly throw together an explosive formula for my bullets.

"Get back here you little cunt! I'm gunna to rip you apart!" I dived onto a picknick table and spent more of my magic to reinforce my shield. It seems the other raiders had no problem firing in the general direction of there power armoured comrade. Likely trusting in the armour to repel any friendly fire or simply not caring if they killed her.

A burst of enchanted rounds against the metal behemoth never even slowed her down. The majority of the bullets detonating against the mesh spaced several inches away from the actual armour and the few rounds that did reach the actual plate only leaving craters of metal dust.

I threw myself off the table as it was turned to splinters by the armour wading into it and swinging savagely at me. I did not quite manage a perfect landing and found myself stumbling forward as I rushed for better cover as my shield was eaten away by constant gunfire. This fight was a disaster. I was performing terribly and struggling to avoid a very embarrassing death.

So why was I struggling to hold back giggles?

One of the raiders decided to charge me with a baseball bat and I sent my remaining explosive rounds into him. The result splattered bits of raider everywhere as I struggled to give myself the space to work on another formula to take care of the amour.

I skidded behind another pillar. The stone offering me enough cover to direct my magic towards the new formula. I darted out of cover in time to see the armoured women throwing herself towards me. The armour moving faster then something that big should have any right to. The remaining bullets in my SMG empowered by a piercing formula I aimed for centre mass and pulled down the trigger.

My first round punched a neat hole in the plate by the gut but to my horror the plate just over that withstood piercing rounds that could dig into tank armour spoiling the effect. It was only the round that slammed into the plate over the impossibly strong one that followed the example of the first shot and punched another neat hole in her suit.

With far less new holes in her then she should have she was able to close the gap and I tried to doge out of the way just a few seconds too late. I managed to scream out in fury as she swiped her arm in a openhanded slap that impacted my elbow and sent my tumbling to the ground as I felt something snap.

"You fucking whore! I am gunna stuff your fucking head bitch!" I tried to push myself up but my left arm simply hung limp at my side and my SMG was empty. I rolled onto my back just in time for an armoured hand to grab me like a toy and squeeze as I was yanked off the ground. I let out a scream and quickly dulled my pain with magic.

"Killing my men?! I am going to cut your legs off and listen to your screams you fu-." With my good arm I drew my bayonet and drove it into the crook of her arm. It was the inside of a joint and as such had almost no armour.

She let out a scream and dropped me, clutching her arm. Why that stopped her but a bullet in her gut did nothing I had no idea but I did not stop to monologue. I dived forward to drive my magically reenforced bayonet into a gap in the armour and into her groin. Before she could finish screaming, I stabbed between the overlapping plates into her belly. Then I darted back as she tried to smash me like a bug and when she toppled forward. I stabbed at her armpits several times before finally driving the blade into her neck.

Blood flowed out of the joints in the huge armour frame and the armour simply locked into a position on her hands and knees. Blood dripping to the ground as she choked and died. The surviving raiders stared dumfounded at me for a moment before the crack of gunfire made them duck and snap their attention towards my caravan who were sprinting towards the camp firing wildly like idiots.

It seemed to be enough however. They quickly threw there weapons away and sprinted away. I considered chasing after them for a moment but decided it was more trouble than it was worth. I began working on the strongest healing formula I could and held back screams as I felt my shattered bones become just broken bones.

"Tanya!" I turned just in time to let out another scream as Joy wrapped me in a hug. "Tanya never do that ever again!" She let me go and looked at me with tears running down her face. "You could have been killed!"

She was correct of course. My 'plan' was utterly stupid in hindsight. I could have fired down upon the camp with targeting formula and taken out the majority of them. That would have prevented that women getting into her power armour. I looked at the ground and nodded.

"Sorry Joy." I mumbled honestly. I was never going to do something this stupid again! I had rushed the attack and botched it. Next time I would be more careful.

"I-its okay. So long as you are still alive." She glanced around and winced before hugging me again. This time making an effort not to put pressure on my broken arm. "I don't know what… What the people who had you before made you do. But you are safe now. Come on let's get you cleaned up."

James Wolfgang. Friendship Heights

James watched in horror as a little girl covered in blood was admonished by joy who was wiping away the drying rust coloured gore with a cloth and a bottle of water. She was acting as if Tanya had played in the mud rather then slaughtering an armed raider camp and stabbing someone in power armour to death.

When he had let Tanya go, it was to avoid his entire caravan running into a firefight they were going to lose. But when the shooting started, Joy and several others had ignored him and charged towards the raiders. But the fight had ended by the time they had reached the camp.

James looked at the little girl who noticed his gaze and offered a sheepish smile. First the metro and now this? There was something wrong with her. He had assumed at first that she was just a good shot and got lucky but no child could do something like this.

From the carnage it was almost like she was a Deathclaw in a young girl's body.

Tanya Von Degurechaff. DC. Metro.

The trip though the metro tunnel had gone much quicker then before. Even with several of the guards carrying my bike and cart though and changing out now and then. They had refused payment but I had insisted. Offering them caps for carrying my things though the tunnels.

The entire caravan was much more heavily laden then before. To my surprise Wolfgang had forbidden taking the power armour stating that if the Brotherhood of Steel found us using it, they would simply confiscate it anyway. Since we were going to be walking past a BOS fort it was for the best that we just left it where it was.

I did want to bring it back to my factory to investigate how it had resisted my magic and see if it could be repaired but I did not want to make an enemy of the Brotherhood so I just left it for some other scavenger to claim. Wolfgang did however take the fusion core out of the back saying that they were great trade items.

While the rest of the caravan had been distracted looting the raider camp, I had done some testing on the armour with a mage blade. Even with magical support digging into thick steel or composite plates was hard work but I had. With enough time and pressure. Cut into the armour with magic. Except on that hammered stomach plate. The armour plate that had resisted the piercing formula was very worrying. Even if the formula was about six times weaker then I could have created with a fully functional type 97.

Working on it more I found it was confounding almost every spell I used on it. An inch thick plate of yellowed metal. Hammered into shape likely centuries ago since it was clearly not a machined piece of power armour. Was this strong? The entire suit was made from scavenged components with different makers and models marked into them and some parts were clearly just scrap metal layered and hammered into shape.

I had my suspicions as to why the piece of armour was immune to magical attacks but I needed more time to test it. I had simply detached the piece of armour and threw it into my cart. No one questioned that so I paid it no more mind for now.

We made our way out of the tunnel and I got back on my bike to putter along with the brahmin who did not seem to mind the bike at all. Before the sky turned dark, we reached the car fort and I was surrounded by Tommy and his siblings.

I was bombarded with questions about my new bike but Tommy only seemed interested in my arm that was currently in a sling where it would remain for weeks even with the near constant medical formula it was exposed to.

I did not want to expose myself as an incompetent idiot that got in punching range of a women in power armour so I told them that the caravan had gotten into a firefight with raiders and that my arm had been broken. I was about to be interrogated when a woman who I presumed to be the mother of the horde called out for everyone's attention. How she was walking straight after nine children was deeply concerning. The medical science of this world was truly astounding. The women directed everyone's attention to a radio set and turned it up.

"-the adventures of me, Herbert "Daring" Dashwood, and my stalwart Ghoul manservant Argyle! Today's episode –"

The horde of children and even teenage girl shouted in joy and rushed over to the radio as I was stood blinking in whiplash. GNR certainly had a monopoly here. If they had programming for news, music and children's entertainment. It seems that almost everyone in the Capital Wasteland had a reason to tune into to Three Dog.

"Come on Tanya." I turned to Tommy as he took my good hand in his and gently pulled me along to the radio. "Never heard about Dashwoods adventures? It will take your mind off the arm." Not wanting to be rude I followed along as he pulled over a seat for me. So, I could listen to the radio drama.

He sat on an old mattress on the floor with the younger children as everyone stood at rapt attention. Even I got into the swing of things. I had never been all that engaged with radio dramas in the past but it was a fun novelty. Intermixed with the adventure were parts where the voice actors would go into detail about some survival technique or what to do if someone got hurt. I approved of the educational entertainment and hoped that Dashwood could deal with the evil slavers of Paradise Falls.

I must have enjoyed myself more then I thought because after a while I found someone prodding my shoulder. I turned to the side to see Tommy with a bowl of soup and a spoon.

"Uh, d-do you need help with it? Because of your arm?" I glanced down and sighed. Without a table I was going to make a mess if I tried to eat with only one hand.

"Here." I glanced up to see Tommy's older sister get up from her seat and offer it to tommy so he could hold the bowl for me. It was slightly humiliating to be so dependent on someone else but I had been wounded more times than someone should be in my life. There were times when I had to be helped with far more embarrassing things from nurses.

"Thanks Tommy." I said after I had finished the soup. "I would have made a mess without you." He quickly looked away as the rest of the children started to cheer at the end of the several hour long Dashwood adventure. After that I made my way back over to the rest of the caravan as everyone settled down for the night.

The next day when we were setting out, I was given get well soon hugs from all of the children at the behest of there older sister who gave me a wink. Tommy's crush seemed to have died down. No doubt seeing me so incapable and wounded had lowered his perception of my childish cuteness. The trait that had no doubt inspired his childish crush. No one was cute when they were unwashed and helpless after all.

When he had hugged me along with the rest of his siblings. he had quickly looked away and stepped back after a few seconds no doubt repulsed by my smell. Having only washed myself in Canterbury three days before and the next chance for a bath being Revit city I would remain unappealing for a while.

Having spent months on the front line I had been in far worse condition before but as dangerous as this world is it was still not expected for people to go unwashed. He was very polite about it however. Saying that he hoped I would get better soon and to look after myself and asking when I would be back. I told him I would be returning in a week or two. Any longer and I had no doubt my employees would pick up everything they could carry and wander off. Some of the younger children had asked to have a go on my bike but Wolfgang had wanted to get an early start.

We had been traveling until shortly after noon when the sounds of gunfire rang out over the ruined city. It was half an hour more when we worked out that the gunfire was not only still going without any sign of slowing down but it was in the direction we were heading. The square of Washington DC.

I was worried that the ghouls of Underworld had picked another fight with the Brotherhood of Steel. After fighting someone in power armour I was acutely aware of how much of a bad idea that was. Wolfgang ordered the caravan to stay in place for him to scout forward with some of the guards including Joy. I joined them curious as to what was going on and for a moment it looked like James was going to order me to stay with the caravan but eventually, he nodded and we stalked forward to investigate.

They were propped up against what had once been a bus shelter. Men and women in jumpsuits with metal contacts over them with terrible, horrific wounds. Suits of power armour lined up against a wall while one suit lay in a crumpled heap. Too damaged to even remain standing on its internal frame.

A devastated squad from the Brotherhood of Steel.

A pale man in red robes was tending to the dead and dying while a figure in power armour riddled with pockmarks from bullets spun about and pointed a rifle that looked far too small in his armoured hands. We stepped out of cover together content that the actual battle was still quite far away from this position.

"Who are you?! Identify yourself!" Wolfgang stepped forwards with his hands raised.

"It's okay. We are a trading caravan. Our pack animals are behind us out of the way. We came to scout things out." His helmet slowly took in the four of us.

"You have medical supplies?" There was an edge to his tone and something told me we were about to be robbed.

"Yes. Some, we would be happy to share with the Brotherhood." I supposed giving them away was better than getting robbed.

"Right. Well go get them! We have more wounded than this and the super mutants have secured themselves in the Lincoln memorial." So, it was the Supermutants I had heard so much about that had torn up this power amour. That was troubling to say the least.

"Supermutants? They pushed this far into the ruins?" Wolfgang practically whispered.

"How did you even get over here? I thought you were defending the Washington monument?" I spoke up, drawing the attention of the man in the armour. The robed man carefully stood up after checking on a very still man whose chest was covered in bandages.

"We were on a patrol to the museum of technology. With things being so quiet lately it seemed like a good idea. They attacked the monument while we were inside and when we tried to get to the monument to reinforce our brothers, they swarmed us. It was a miracle we were able to withdraw at all. Go Knight Burrows. You are to accept the charity of the wastelanders and nothing more. Return here with all you can carry." The power armoured man nodded.

"Yes, Proctor Stevenson." The 'knight' threw his armour into a jog as Wolfgang led him back to the rest of the caravan with the other caravan guards. I was half tempted to follow but this was the perfect time to make a pickup.

Well, I suppose I shouldn't mock him. I was a Knight too after all.

"Child won't you join them? It's not safe here after all." I gave the man a smile.

"Don't worry sir I can look out for myself. Besides, with your Knight gone who is going to look after you? What if the Supermutants come?" Okay I had fielded the idea I was capable in a fight and that I was willing to help the old man protect the wounded now I needed an excuse to meander over to the mud in front of the capital building. Was I rushing this? Fuck I was. I wanted to get that broken flight stabilizer back now that I had a workshop and see if I could repair it.

The siren call of the sky was making me too impatient. The gunfire ringing out over the ruins of DC was evidence enough that I was in a warzone and I needed to act like it.

"You're a brave girl." The man said with a soft smile that did not quite reach his eyes. After tending to the dead that was hardly unexpected.

"WM Command, WM Command. This is Pride 1 inbound to your position requesting sitrep over." I turned to the sound and noted that it came from one of the power armoured suits. The Proctor quickly hurried over and opened a bulky box welded to the stomach to reveal an antiquated radio set that rived the one I had sported at Norden.

"This is Proctor Stevenson. It's good to hear from the Pride. The situation is dire I am afraid. I am cut off from the monument fort with only one knight that can still fight. Within the fort ten of our brothers hold out against an innumerable greenskin horde. If you can offer any relief to the fort, it must be done swiftly! Ad Victoriam!" I stared at the man as he let out a speech that would not be out of place in a movie or video game and the pieces were slowly fitting together.

The Brotherhood of Steel was a cult.

"Understood Proctor. The Pride will fall upon the mutants with fire and fury to avenge our fallen brothers! We will release the Greenskins from there torment." There was an explosion from the distance. For a moment the gunfire stopped before it redoubled with furious intensity. I rushed out of cover and onto a hill to see in the far distance gunfire, explosions and beams of angry red power fill the air around the monument.

"The Lyons Pride strikes. Its only a matter of time before they drive off the mutants. Girl, please come back here. There is no telling what direction the mutants will flee." It was a sensible enough suggestion so I made my way back down the hill as my caravan slowly approached the wounded with the Knight before in tow.

"Proctor. They have the medical supplies." There was more to the conversation but I tuned it out as the BOS and caravaners begun the bloody work of trying to save men who had been maimed by battle. The battle itself however seemed to have been won in a single decisive attack. I was not close enough to see any of it but the gunfire had died down to a few shots now and then.

After the wounded were stabilized the knight and the proctor moved off to speak to each other in private. Wolfgang started packing up everything and seemed eager to get moving before the Brotherhood paid too much attention to us. We were heading in the directing of my buried things so I simply climbed onto my bike and was about to move off with the rest of the caravan when the Proctor spoke from behind me.

"Is that yours?" I looked back to find the proctor was looking over my bike with a soft smile.

"Yes. I fixed it up from scrap parts."

"That is very impressive. I noticed another motorcycle with the same colour heading towards Rivet city. Did you happen to have something to do with that?" I nodded.

"Yes. All the bikes with my branding I made and sold. I am keeping this one for myself however." His eyebrows raised and his gaze darted to Wolfgang.

"Its very impressive for someone your age to manage something like this. You should be very proud of yourself Tanya. Do you pass along this way often?"

"Sometimes. I am going to Rivet city then I will be going back up north."

"Ah, so you are just traveling with the good traders for security?" He looked at Wolfgang who nodded.

"Tanya is welcome to travel along with us whenever she likes. We look after her when she does." Joy said with a glare. Did she not like the Brotherhood?"

"I see." Proctor Stevenson said with a smile and a familier spark in his eye. Before the conversation could continue a figure in resplendent white power armour and a boxy laser rifle jogged over. They paused to look over the crowd and looked at Stevenson.

"Who is this? locals?" The feminine voice under the armour sounded almost board. I knew the type. I had plenty of them in the 203rd. She was a warmonger and now that the fighting was over, she was counting the seconds before she could rush headlong into battle again.

"Yes, the little one promised to protect me from the Supermutants before you fought them off and the caravan has given us medical supplies out of the goodness of their hearts." Proctor Stevenson turned to me with a kind smile.

"That's right!" I said with a smile. From what I could gather the Brotherhood of Steel was one of the most important entities in the wasteland and if I could get on their good side by doing nothing, I was certainly going to do it. "My name is Tanya Von Degurechaff. Nice to meet you miss."

"…Cute." The women said flatly and I felt my smile faulter for a moment before the Proctor spoke.

"Tanya. This is Sentinel Lyons. Or Sarah. She is one of the brave Knights that keeps the Capital Wasteland safe from the Supermutants." He had a soft tone as he introduced what was clearly an officer to me. The amount of spin on the presentation was impressive however. He then turned to Lyons. "Little miss Degurechaff and her companions are clearly deserving of praise for their charity Sentinel." I bristled at the 'little miss' comment despite how apt it was.

"Well… Good, thank you Civilian. Your aid is appreciated. Please inform your parents of that." The women then stomped off in a rather robotic fashion. Glancing back at me before making her way to the tall monument no doubt to check on her men.

"Don't get upset Tanya. The good Sentinel is simply not the best at talking to people. Her gifts lie in combat and protecting the innocent."

"Its okay. Good luck mister Stevenson. I hope your men will be fine."

"I hope we can meet again. Feel welcome to come over to the fort when you come back this way. I will be out here for a few more weeks before I need to report back to the Citadel. Its always nice to catch up with bright young locals such as yourself."

The caravan quickly went on our way to Rivet city. Apparently close enough to make it well before the end of the day. When we were clearly out of sight of the Brotherhood I asked Joy to help me collect something I had hidden and she quickly agreed. With my arm still broken digging around in the mud was a stupid idea.

It took no time at all and Wolfgang was kind enough to wait for me to make my way over to the pile of dirt I had hidden my things. I watched as Joy uncovered the dirt I had used to conceal my things. The broken rifle I had taken from Visha in exchange for my spent sub machine gun in that battle. The damaged flight stabilizer. What worried me the most was what was missing. The melted hunk of slag called the type 95, It was gone.

Mary Sioux. Raven Rock.

"How does the device function?"

"Mary Sioux Vol-" The women strapped to what was little more than a metal slab started screaming as she was subjected to enough electricity to kill a man. Her lungs had collapsed from her screams over the last few days but to the fascination with the science team she had healed faster than she could drown in her own blood.

When the scientist disabled the electricity and waited for the women to show signs of cognition. The question was repeated.

"How does the device function?"

"Mary… Sioux." And the screaming started again. In her mind shattering agony, she managed to form a pure prayer. An earnest plea to her God. 'Oh lord God. Please save me!'

Tanya Von Degurechaff. Outside the United States Capital Building.

In an instant the world turned quiet. Static. I felt a cold dread as the world lost its luster.

"My lost lamb, I have found you at last." I was shaking and it felt like I could not bring enough air into my lungs. I had to do something but I was blinded by hate and fury. Being X looked down at me with a grin that distorted Joy's face. I Steeled myself as he glanced about with the women's eyes.

B̴̛͔̠̜̠̠̐͋͊̆͊̈́͛́̇̅̏ḙ̸͖̹̄́̿͂̒̚i̸̛̼͖̰͇̽̆͑̀̔͊̋̋̿̀̒̕͝͠n̷̡̨̥̯̝̭̯̐͋̊̑̎̒͘̚g̴̢̨̨͇̜͂̽͋́͒̓̆̄͋̀̓͘͠͠ͅ ̸̢̛̱̥͇͐͋̋̋͐̆͒̉͛̍̈̕̕͠Ẍ̷̣̱͔̝̺͈͉̳̫̯́͑̆̂̂̈́̔͛̽̓͗͘͘

"To think I would find you in this cursed world, long given over. Now I must know how you came to escape me to begin with." He spoke. The Atheist shook looking up at His glory. It was not unexpected. The Atheist would try to find some way to confound His plans for her as was her way.

"Try to help me understand how an omnipotent being can struggle to find something. A needle in a haystack should be nothing for you." He suppressed a sigh. How could He explain to this child that could not even comprehend His majesty the scale of the multiverse?

"To you such things are incomprehensible." He spoke as He was. The truth.

"No, your stupidity and lies are the only thing I fail to comprehend!" He felt what He had thought was primordial. Frustration, exasperation, anger.

"Your attempt to anger me Is short-sighted. My lost lamb, I have only love for you. Forever I shall be at your side. Waiting for the day that you see my footprints beside your own." He left her then. Hopefully she would reflect upon His words and come to know the truth of them.

He was the light.

As for the voice that had called Him… Ah his Valkyrie. He was disappointed with her. She had been reckless with His power and allowed The Atheist to escape him for a time. Even if it was still curious how The Atheist had accomplished that. Still, she had proven useful before. He could not strip away the blessings but he would not make the mistake of offering her more power again.

He soothed her mind and let her spill fourth secrets that would confound The Atheist's plotting. Her plan to apply the 'Chicago school' had forced Him to take time to lower himself to the scribblings of children. He was unimpressed with the teachings of the school.

He looked at the grand tapestry of time working His way forward to eliminate possibilities. Ah, something else would be needed before The Atheist would profess for Him the truth that was her love.

He looked out at this world and found it. The thread that would unravel the plot. A pure soul that loved Him with all her heart. Though stone and copper and rusted pipes He soon reached the side of the bright faith that soothed His frustration at The Atheist.

If The Atheist would reject His relic He would make her covet it. He could see it now. The threads of fate that would lead to His greatest prophet. She would witness the intoxicating power to make the world right and be unable to call it to herself until she asked Him.

He would grant it if she was true in her prayer. He was a kind and forgiving God after all.

For a young woman, alone and afraid. All that mattered was that the pain stopped. But her hate. That burned brightly, but it was not that single face that had cursed her dreams. More joined her.

For a network of copper and gold and steel and rust. The game had changed. The calculation began for how to adjust. It was adaptable after all.

AN: This was both a lot of fun and a lot of work to get right. I am still not happy with some parts but I do want to keep going rather then reread forever.