CHAPTER 22: MAVERICK SENTINELS.

"You want to know what a robot's designed for. And if it's doing something outside the scope of what it's made to do, you should be very suspicious."-Daniel H. Wilson.

Two Sentry Bots aimed their triple laser guns, firing red streaks of three towards the wanderers that either flew over or burned holes into the ground. Nothing could be done but to run, the bots would have mowed them down on the spot. A missile landed a few meters away and showered dirt all over. The corner of the hangar came up, to which they picked up speed and went around. Now on the back end they only had moments to find something to hide behind before the Sentry Bots caught up. Fortune was on their side for the moment, stacks of military crates rested near the back discarded like trash.

Everyone dived behind it, amazingly not landing on each other. The ground rumbled, making the crates shake in their passing. But thankfully the bots didn't find them and kept moving ahead in search mode.

"Okay, Louis, in the quickest way possible, tell us what the fuck is going on?!" Doug asked with a heavy pant.

"I was planning to." Louis took a deep breath. "In short, those Sentry Bots are new models from before the Great War happened. And the Rust Devils took Inez to fix them. And now they are fixed and activated to blow our asses to pieces!"

Joe muttered in annoyance from another sin from the past. "The wonders of the world before never cease..."

"I still cannot believe those bots missed us. They had us cornered." Victoria spoke bewilderedly.

"I suspect their targeting computers need to be calibrated." Asimov spoke. "They have stood stationary for over two hundred years. Their gears and joints must not have been greased and oiled."

"So...silver lining, I guess?" Chloe shrugged.

"Possibly," Asimov poked his head out for a moment. "But their weapons are fully operational and just as deadly. And even if they break down from a lack of care, there's no telling how long that will take. Odds are they were built to last. Further more-"

Electricity suddenly sparked across his body, the Assaultron doubled over and almost collapsed. Louis tried to leap in to help, but Doug stopped him from getting a nasty shock. Asimov's systems calibrated again and ended the power surge before he crashed.

"What was that all about?!" Joe freaked out.

"I seem to have sustained more damage then previously scanned." Asimov answered casually, not fazed at all. "I will be fine for now."

"We need Inez to fix you as soon as she can. I don't think my Pip-Boy will save you this time. Speaking of which..." Louis turned to the Ghoul and held his hand out. "Joe, I'd like it back."

Joe grunted and opened the backpack and handed over the device and some of Louis' weapons like the AN-90 and Desert Eagle. The Vault dweller ripped off some of the armor pieces on his left arm being held together by leather underneath and snapped the Pip-Boy on. The device turned on with the Pip-Boy character giving a thumbs up on the screen.

"Glad to have this back. I felt so incomplete without it..." Louis smirked at the device.

"When you're done with your flashy Pip-Boy," Chloe held her plasma rifle tight in anticipation from the fight to come. "We should get back on track with taking out those Sentry Bots."

"Right, sorry." Louis nodded and began to think. A direct attack would only get them killed, that went without saying. The only option was to take out the source. "I know what to do! Those bots are being controlled by a terminal, we have to destroy it and they should shut down!"

Doug sighed harshly. "Again, you make things sound easier then they actually are..."

Wayland's eyes lifted for a moment and grabbed his quad-barrel missile launcher on his back. "Hey, maybe this could damage them!" he held it up with ease. "I only have ten missiles though..."

"Just wait until you have a close enough shot." Victoria said to him. "You can't afford to waste any of those missiles."

"Louis, are you sure that terminal can shut them down? It seems too simple." Doug asked, worried he might make a mistake about his plan.

"I saw that second in command guy activate them with it, so it has to be the only way to shut them down..." Louis made a small smirk. "And there is some better news. Inez messed with one of those bots to explode when it goes into cool down mode!"

"Which one is it?..." Joe asked, to which Louis didn't respond. His eyes just darted around. "You don't know, do you?..."

"What did you expect? I lost track when we were getting chased!" Louis defended with both hands up.

"Focus, everyone." Asimov sharply interjected. "Time is short and we're worse off than before. If Louis can shut the Sentry Bots down then he must hurry. We'll draw their attention while you go back."

"I'll give him a hand." Doug went beside the Vault dweller. "Someone has to make sure he doesn't die."

Two bangs made everyone jolt in alert. And before they could figure it out, two spear looking weapons burst through the old metal crates nearby like a harpoon catching a fish. The crates were pulled out and caused the stack to fall over. The group backed away and slunk against the wall as the crates landed at their feet. Two Sentry Bots reeled the crates to them, the chains came out from just above the tri-legs in front of the body. The other four soon lined up and locked on, their movements still jutting and stiff.

"Wayland! If you want to try that missile launcher, go ahead!" Joe frantically suggested.

The Super Mutant hoisted it onto his right shoulder and looked down the sights. The targeting sight took a moment to line up before pulling the trigger. The missile fired, the recoil barely felt by him, which helped steady the shot. It slammed into the closest Sentry Bot in the chest, erupting into a massive fireball that engulfed it. At first they rejoiced when the missile hit, but the smoke soon cleared and the only visible damage was a black scorch mark on its wide chest.

Wayland almost dropped the missile launcher from shock. Everyone else's jaws practically dangled as Asimov's scenario scans flashed all kinds of warnings from his point of view.

Joe swallowed his fear and held his hunting rifle tight. "Louis! Doug! If you two are going to do something then do it now!"

They snapped out of it and ran without another word. Everyone else headed in the opposite direction while firing off their guns to draw the Sentry Bots' attention, to which they sluggishly followed in a line without noticing the two.

()()()()()()()()

Bits of concrete chunks fell off the rebar around the hole. Sunlight pouring in with a thick cloud of dust slowly settling onto the floor. The Rust Devil leader cheered wildly at the destruction left in the Sentry Bots' wake.

"Wow! Did you guys see that shit?! Those motherfuckers are gonna be blown all over the place!" Spark cackled with his arm still tightly around Inez's neck.

"See it?! Those bots blew a damn hole in our fucking hangar wall!" Gears outstretched his arms towards it, his body trembled with anger. "How are we going to fix it?! This base is suppose to be secure! How can we be secure if those things tear down this fort!"

"Why the fuck are you acting like it's my fault?! Those bots missed them by a mile!"

Gears' hand went down his face and slammed his other fist on the terminal. "I told you before! Even if we could get them running again, they would probably need their targeting systems calibrated and their parts oiled! They could breakdown if they are strained too much!"

"Do you guys want to get a room and work this out?!" Inez cut in. "Because I'd rather be deaf then listen to you two argue like a bitter old couple!"

Spark pointed the knife to her face in response. "Keep talking, and I might do part of your suggestion!" he hissed through his teeth. "And don't talk to me about arguing couples! The only time my parents weren't screaming at each other was when they were fucking! Very angry fucking..."

Inez was glad she hadn't eaten anything in awhile, she would have puked on the spot. "Why...in God's name would you think I'd want to hear that?..."

Thankfully, the sound of thundering footsteps ended the argument between the three. More then two dozen Rust Devils and a few bots stormed into the hangar to find out what was going on in all the chaos and to mostly find someplace safe. All of them stood exhausted, some injured and some coughing from smoke inhalation when they put the fire out. The rest that weren't fighting scrounged up any weapons that didn't suffer the same destruction as the ones in the armory. But the guns they carried was in poor condition, and a fourth of their ammo destroyed or spent.

Spark looked down to his people with contempt. "And here are the idiots of the hour! You all couldn't handle a handful of fuckers, so I had to activate those Sentry Bots!"

Murmurs of complaint filled the room, either talking amongst themselves or quietly cursing their boss. Gears sighed and looked back to the terminal to take his mind off the rabble. The square screen had each bots' point of view in individual blocks with the last four still showing offline. The second in command watched the Sentry Bots chase the intruders, the black and white images getting closer by the second. But something was off, he didn't see the intruder that sneaked in earlier, along with the other person that wore their armor.

"Shit! Where are they?!" he placed his fingers back onto the keyboard and brought up the recording data to rewind and see if the missing intruders were killed already. "I shouldn't have taken my eyes off this screen!"

During that time, Louis and Doug returned to the crumbling hole and leaned against the wall. The black haired man slowly poked his head in through the opening to find the leader. His eyes were greeted by the horde of Rust Devils hanging around, making the task at hand impossible and the terminal out of reach.

"There's a bunch of Rust Devils and robots in there! It must be the rest of these assholes!" Doug quickly informed while pulling his head away.

Louis huffed to that. "Dammit! Can we get one break?!" he raised his Pip-Boy. "I can't plug this in with all of them a few feet away from the terminal!"

"And I'm guessing Inez is still held hostage by their leader. We need something to distract-" Doug's eyebrows raised with an idea and reached for the grenade launcher hanging from the strap. "I can distract them with this! There's still some shots left. You can run in while they're blinded."

"Doug, that's fucking awesome!" Louis pumped his fist to the lucky break. "They won't see me coming! And I can push the terminal out of the smoke because it's on wheels. Let's do this!"

Doug readied the weapon as Louis moved right into the opening, he only had one shot at this. He grabbed the plug under his Pip-Boy and reeled the cord out. With a deep breath, Doug spun around and pointed the launcher to the crowd and rapidly fired three shots. The cylinders flew with a trail of smoke, one landed in the middle of the Rust Devils, another thumped into a nearby Mr. Gutsy, and the last landed right into a man's groin. He collapsed with a howl of pain that was soon clouded by coughing.

The two watched as the smoke filled the place, some fired shots into the air, but for what reason no one could guess. Louis immediately ran as Doug pointed his finger and laughed at the Rust Devil that was hit in the crotch. Just before he reached the smoke, Louis took a deep breath and went in. The crowd scurried around in the confusion, coughing and tripping over each other. Smoke billowed upward to the catwalk, Spark and Inez coughed lightly and stepped away from the edge.

A smile spread across her face, followed by an amused chuckle that made the Rust Devil leader frown in annoyance.

"What the hell is so funny, bitch?!"

"Oh, I'm just laughing at the fact your plans are metaphorically and literally going up in smoke!" she answered before laughing again. "And I get the feeling your people are going to stab you in the back, considering the way you treat them!"

"They don't mean anything! With those Sentry Bots, I'll gather more followers! And if you want to keep living, you'll keep fixing them up!" Spark threaten as the smoke started getting thicker around them.

"You like to dream big, huh?" Inez decided to use the smoke to escape. "Too bad you didn't dream I would do this!"

The heel of her boot stomped into Spark's toes, he yelped and dropped the knife. Inez quickly elbowed him in the side, but his armor took most of the blow. She spun around and shoved Spark in the chest as hard as possible with open hands. The leader stumbled back and almost went over the rails of the catwalk as Inez didn't waste a second to flee.

"You fucking whore!" Spark straighten himself up and gave chase. "Get back here so I can knock your lights out!"

Louis started getting hazy from the smoke and a little lost. All he could count on was his memory of where he last saw the terminal. He suddenly slammed into someone, who bumped into something hard. Confusion ran through Louis' mind before seeing the faint glow of the terminal screen through the smoke. He also realized the person he bumped into was no other than the second in command.

"You again?!" Gears shouted before coughing.

The Vault dweller answered with a boot to his chest, Gears fell back and hit the body of the terminal and slid down it. Louis gave him a knee to the face and left him on the floor. He went to the terminal and placed both hands on the body and pushed. The wheels squeaked in protest, it was heaver then it looked, but soon he was out and greeted by fresh air that he gladly inhaled. The terminal was still connected by a thick cable to a humming generator nearby, so he could only get a few feet away without unplugging it.

He coughed a few times to clear his lungs. "Damn! I'm not doing that again." he held up the plug in his left hand. "Now where is it? Where's the port?" his eyes looked over the keyboard, control sticks, dials and switches on the surface. Time was not on his side, the smoke could clear any moment. Finally, he found a port at the bottom right and flipped the glass cover open and stuck it in. "At last! Now I'm in!"

Data scrolled over the screen of his Pip-Boy, allowing access to the terminal and giving him shortcuts to the commands. Three Rust Devils ran out from the smoke and spotted Louis as he was about to type. All of them started lifting their rifle, the Vault dweller drew his Desert Eagle in response, the Pip-Boy somehow detecting the situation. The V.A.T.S. activated and allowed his perception of the world slow down again. Each head was highlighted in blue with high probabilities of hitting their mark. In that instance Louis pulled the trigger, each bullet going right into the brainpan and out. The bodies collapsed as the gunshots stirred the other Rust Devils up into a panic.

Gears crawled out from the smoke, coughing up small puffs and seething with anger. His eyes narrowed towards Louis, who was back on the keyboard. Not wanting to give him that chance, Gears grabbed a rifle on the floor near the bodies and stood up. The Vault dweller saw Gears out the corner of his eye and flung himself behind the terminal just as he fired and hit the body of the machine. Electricity popped out from the holes and the screens flickered from the damage, a surge caused the plug of the Pip-Boy to eject and reel back into its dock. Louis checked the screen with worry, the greenish glow surged with data that he had never seen before.

"Aw, dammit! What happened?!" Louis gave the screen a couple of whacks. "It can't be corrupted!"

Ignoring the damage, Gears chased after Louis as he scurried to his feet and ran without looking back. The second in command cursed and yelled, all he needed was a clear shot to pelt him. Louis reached the stairs and ran, his boots stomping with each step until reaching the top.

"Stop running so I can shoot you!" Gears shouted.

At the top of the stairs was an empty oil drum with no lid. Acting on wit, Louis grabbed it and threw it over his head. The drum rolled and bounced down the stairs, causing Gears to turn around and flee, only to be smacked right in the back and knocked to the floor.

"Don't leave your shit all over the place, dumb fucks!" Louis flipped him mockingly.

He jogged on the catwalk at a steady pace, his eyes locked onto the screen again. The Pip-Boy kept scrolling strange data that made him worry more. He gave it another whack to get some form of response, but it still displayed nothing else.

"I can't believe this! After all this time, this is how it breaks?!"

"Louis! Over here!" Inez's voice called out to him.

The Vault dweller turned his head to her and closed in, putting his worry aside for a moment. "Inez! You got away!" the two stopped in front of each other.

"Yeah, but not for long! That asshole is like a monkey in a jungle." Inez took a moment to take a breath. "He chased after me and suddenly disappeared into the rafters!"

"We keep meeting very strange people..." Louis rolled his eyes.

Dropping from the rafters, Spark landed on his feet with a hard rattle. Something was strapped to his back, but Louis and Inez couldn't see it. He held an assault rifle with weird drawings etched all over the body. "You've caused a lot of problems, pal! But once you and your friends are dead, we're gonna hang your bodies on those Sentry Bots until they rot away!"

Louis stepped in front of Inez and reached for his Desert Eagle. "I've been wanting to bullet in you. Your sadistic, half-baked plot ends here!"

Spark just smirked at his insult. "In case you haven't realized, I'm already pointing a gun at you. So drop dead!" Spark aimed the gun straight at him and looped his finger around the trigger.

"Stop! Look at his left wrist!" Inez voice cut through to them.

Louis' shoulders tighten from her piercing shout. Spark's eyes looked to the bare arm and almost dropped his rifle. There on the intruder's wrist, the object of his affection that he had so longed for, a Pip-Boy only several feet away from his reach. He looked upon the device like a holy object of worship.

"I don't believe it! An actual fucking Pip-Boy!" Spark went absolutely ecstatic. "I've wanted one for so long!"

Louis drew his Desert Eagle while the Rust Devil was lost in admiration. "Inez, go!" he shouted and fired two rounds into Spark's chest.

The bullets left deep dents in his armor, but didn't pierce through. Spark fell sideways onto the rails with pain stinging his chest, but he ignored it and looked towards them. "One way or another, I'm getting that Pip-Boy!"

Louis and Inez ran to get far away from the insane leader. "So, Inez, what was that all about?" he asked, a finger digging in his right ear. "Because my ear is still ringing and I'm worried I won't hear out of it again."

"Sorry, I shouted because that weirdo likes to collect random tech, and a Pip-Boy just happens to be high on his list." Inez quickly explained as they went another direction.

"Is that a fact?..." Louis raised a brow with intrigue. The screen of the Pip-Boy suddenly focused and displayed a loading bar.

()()()()()()()

Back on the ground floor, Doug fired his Winchester into the fading smoke, the Rust Devils started pouring out not long after the smokescreen was laid down. He backed away from the hole as the last shell ejected and reached into his pocket for more ammo. Like second nature he had the rifle reloaded in moments, but ended up two rounds short. He just remembered all his rifle ammo was in a pouch on his pants.

"Aw, shit..."

The Rust Devils charged with desires to rip him limb from limb, five dead bodies and a dented up Mister Gutsy were the only casualties Doug achieved from his potshots. His feet pounded the dirt, the Raiders poured out of the hole with little regard for each other's safety, the only thing that mattered was killing him. Doug figured staying in the opening would get him shot, so he decided to lap around the hangar and catch up with the others. It all now rested on Louis to stop the Sentry Bots.

()()()()()()()

Red beams flew, several missiles landed in random spots, spreading dirt and rocks all over. Wayland suddenly cried out, his left shoulder was nicked by a stray laser, leaving his greenish flesh sizzling with pain. The armor piece did nothing to protect him and the Super Mutant almost lost his balance before Asimov came in to help steady him.

They rounded the hangar again, now on the front side and began slowing down. Running was draining them fast and the bots would soon catch up. They haven't seen any other Rust Devils, which made them concerned that an ambush was in the works. Pressing on, they took refuge behind some scattered military vehicles and concrete roadblocks that was mostly rust or crumbling. The group took the time to rest and reload their dwindling ammunition, Chloe checked Wayland's shoulder while Asimov kept a lookout for the Sentry Bots that would be arriving any moment.

"We can't keep running." Victoria rested against a roadblock, wiping the sweat away from her brow.

"And their armor is too strong to punch through." Joe finished reloading his hunting rifle. "Louis better shut them off soon."

"I'm worried we haven't seen any Rust Devils for quite some time." Chloe couldn't do anything for Wayland's wound right now. "Our survival is getting slimmer by the minute."

"Just give Louis and Doug time." Wayland winched from the pain. "I know they can do it..."

Cavall's ears perked up and started to growl furiously. Soon, everyone heard the rumble of the Sentry Bots rolling in. The bots slowed to a stop and started scanning the rusted vehicles and concrete roadblocks in search of their targets. The scans suddenly picked up life signs and locked on to their hiding places. With a metal groan, the tripod legs locked in place and the small gun turrets housed in the legs pointed towards their location. Gunfire ended the silence, shells ejected from the sides of the joints into small piles at their tracks.

The group curled behind their cover as bullets chipped concrete and dented rusting metal. Their ears rang from the deafening noise, their hiding spots moments away from giving to the assault. But luck came through once more, the Sentry Bots stopped firing after expending hundreds of rounds. The AI systems changed tactics and spread apart from each other by several meters. Three bots slowly raised their right arms and unleashed torrents of triple lasers that burned through materials with ease. With their hiding place no longer strong enough to defend, they fled while staying low so they wouldn't be spotted right away. As they ran, a Sentry Bot at the far left suddenly shook and its visor flickered.

()()()()()()()

Louis and Inez came to a stop, the catwalk seemed to be an endless maze of twists and turns before they spotted a flight of stairs ahead.

"How the hell did we lose Spark again?" Louis kept his eyes up at the rafters. "You were right, he is like a monkey in the jungle..."

"Too bad circuses don't exist anymore. He'd fit right in..." Inez scoffed.

A sudden whoosh was heard above them, like something ignited. The two only had moments to look up and see Spark drop from the rafters with a flaming blade. Inez moved away, but Louis was his intended target. On reflex, the Vault dweller lifted his right arm in defense and received a burning slash. The armor did little to protect, a few plates were broken off as the blade cut into his arm. The combination of being slashed and burned intensified the pain immensely. Louis screamed, dropping his Desert Eagle and fell onto his back.

Spark cheered and waved his blade around in the air, droplets of flaming oil dripping off it. "Stings, doesn't it?!" the weapon he held was a jury-rigged invention known as a shishkebob. A blade with a tube connected to a tank with some form of liquid fuel. "I just love watching flesh burn! See my victims turn to ash! You gonna cry? Go ahead and cry, I won't judge! Okay, I'm totally gonna judge, bitch!"

Louis used his legs and good arm to crawl away. The searing pain just wouldn't dull, the cut ran across his forearm in a burnt red. Even a stimpak wouldn't make the scarring go away and the flesh was cauterized deeply. "You crazy bastard! I'll make the other side of your face match!"

"This burn scar on my face isn't related, cock licker!" Spark pointed to the right side of his face. "But here's a question, what's better than one shishkebob?" he reached back with his left hand and unsheathed another blade. "Two shishkebobs!" he flicked the brake lever that ignited it. "And now, I'm gonna hack off your arm to get that Pip-Boy. I know that's unnecessary because it has a latch, but I don't give a fuck!"

Louis rolled onto his feet, holding his burnt arm. "Inez! Go outside and join up with the others! Get out of here!"

"Are you crazy?! You're hurt, I'm not leaving you here!" she argued back.

"This is not up for debate! Go get Asimov and my friends and get out!" Louis turned around to run with Spark following.

"Where you going, buddy?!" Spark licked his lips, it's been a long time since he brandished his shishkebobs and intended to enjoy every second of it. "I want to see you on fire! You'll roast up nice and good!" he chased while whipping his blades around.

Inez gave up and turned towards the stairs and headed down, but not to get Asimov and the others to run. She was going to regroup and bring them back to help Louis and put down the Rust Devil leader.

()()()()()()

One after the other, if not by force, the group shoved themselves into the door of the fort. The same area Doug entered when he looked for Inez earlier. They wanted to make the fort their final battleground since running was doing nothing, and they figured the fort was strong enough to withstand the Sentry Bot's attacks. At least strong enough to last for awhile.

"Get ready!" Joe said to them. He bashed out the aged reinforced glass with his hunting rifle stock. "They'll be here soon!"

Asimov still weighed his self-destruct option. But getting the Sentry Bots close enough was next to impossible since they moved around so much. And there was no guarantee his core was powerful enough to cause a chain reaction when he detonated with them close together. His calculations on the odds of success were very low no matter how many times he ran them. The only other possible attack was getting behind them in their massive blind spots.

"How much longer do we have to hold out?" Chloe wondered and looked at her plasma rifle. "Even my plasma shots are barely melting their armor."

"And we're wasting bullets as it is." Victoria sighed from exhaustion. "You guys don't think something is wrong with Louis and Doug, do you?"

"Don't think like that." Joe spoke sharply. "They've been traveling before we all joined up. So they'll figure something out. I hope..."

Wayland loaded a new mag into his AK-47 and checked his remaining ammo pouches. He was down to only a few mags, not that it mattered since even his missiles didn't do anything. "Guys, I'm going to check around quickly for something useful. I'll be back in a moment." he informed the group.

"Be cautious." Asimov said, his ocular eyes still fixated on the outside.

The Super Mutant headed down the hall with haste in hopes of finding anything worthwhile. Soon, the Sentry Bots rolled up many meters from the fort building. Their actions suggested they lost track again and began searching. Not wanting to start exchanging fire right away, the group moved from the windows and stayed low and waited for the bots to lose interest and move on.

But while their concern was kept on the bots scouting around, they didn't notice the sound of footsteps coming around the corner from another hallway. Four Rust Devils came around with weapons in hand and duffle bags of supplies and ammo strapped over their shoulders.

"Hurry! We got to get out of here!" one of them spoke. They all wore armor made from rubber tubing and few slips of metal.

"We need more food before leaving!" the woman said as her eyes fell upon the intruders. "Oh, shit! It's them! The people that busted in here!" she pointed her handgun hastily.

The wanderers turned, pointing their weapons in return. A stalemate on both sides that could end in a fatal shootout.

"Seriously?! How many of you bastards are left?!" Victoria furrowed her brows.

"Drop your weapons or we'll shoot!" one with most of his teeth missing demanded. His skin looked like it was clinging to his skeleton, clearly a chem addict. "And throw those backpacks over! We can always use more stuff!"

Joe kept his hunting rifle aimed steadily. "If you idiots start shooting, those Sentry Bots will find us and blow this building down!"

"We'll be long gone before that happens." the one that seemed to be in the lead spoke. A tattoo of a screw on the side of his cheek. "Spark is out of control. He'll bring us all down with him. So we're hightailing it out of here before that happens with whatever we can carry!"

"Then go fuck off already! But you're not getting anything from us!" Chloe warned with her plasma rifle aimed at the addict.

()()()

Wayland huffed and closed the lid of a crate he opened up. There was nothing he could fine or use, no weapons or items at all. So he decided to rejoin the others and hold out with them.

"I will put one between your teeth, bitch!" a voice echoed from the halls, catching the Super Mutant's attention.

Cavall's barking was then heard, along with Asimov speaking next. "This is unnecessary. Leave now so you can live."

"Shut it, bucket head!" a female voice spat.

The Super Mutant grabbed his assault rifle and left the room he stood in. He walked with soft steps, which was surprising considering his size and weight. The arguments went back and forth between Wayland's friends and the Rust Devils as he reached the end of the hall that turned into the corner. His big hands gripped the assault rifle, almost breaking it like a cheap toy. This was the only way, if he didn't act his friends could be hurt or killed. But that would mean killing the Rust Devils, and he has never killed humans before.

More yelling shook him from his thoughts, it sounded like the situation was about to get out of control. So with one shaky hand, he gripped the rifle and looped a finger around the trigger. Wayland took a deep, his nerves rattled in anticipation, the kindhearted Super Mutant marched forward with heavy steps. The Rust Devils heard the thuds coming and turned to see the greenish brute charging from the darkness. Wayland grabbed the slide and pulled it back with a click that chambered a bullet.

Fear made the Rust Devils freeze upon seeing a Super Mutant up close in person. They fumbled with their weapons, not able to get a shot off in time. Wayland didn't hesitate, it would only mean his death if he did. So his finger squeezed and unleashed a storm of bullets. He swept his rifle to make sure each Rust Devils got their fair share of lead. Their tube armor did nothing to protect them as blood splattered on the walls nearby. The mag went empty with several clicks, Wayland's finger still held the trigger tight, the weapon shook with remorse. Like old sacks of sand, the Rust Devils collapsed to the floor all over each other, long dead before that.

The wanderers watched the whole thing unfold faster then they could realize. Wonder over who shot them was answered as Wayland came out from the hall. His eyes heavy with mixed feeling over the deed, the Super Mutant watched as blood pooled around the bodies.

Joe realized what was going on, Wayland had taken his advice on doing what needed to be done. Still, he couldn't help regret being a little harsh about it. "Hey, Wayland..."

The Super Mutant turned his head sharp, the regret fading fast. "We protect our own first, right?" he spoke.

Joe hummed in his throat and nodded. "That's right, we do."

"Uh, I'm sorry, but did we miss something?" Chloe wanted to know what was going on.

()()()

The Sentry Bots halted in their tracks, the audio receivers picked up the gunfire and turned back to the fort and moved towards it with haste.

()()()

Victoria saw the bots returning, weapons already raised and ready to fire. "They're coming! Get ready!"

Everyone moved on from the dead Rust Devils and took cover at the windows. Bits of concrete chipped from the ceiling, the Sentry Bots made the building shake as they got closer. Some cracks even formed on the walls, showing the fort's age to the ravages of time.

"This is where we make our stand!" Asimov pointed his arm out the window opening. "Just hold out a little longer!"

As the Sentry Bots got closer, spreading out in formation like their program dictated. But one suddenly stopped dead in its tracks as if it had shutdown by some unknown cause.

()()()()()()

Doug's sides burned with pain, a bullet had dug into his shoulder a few minutes ago. The Rust Devil mob getting closer by the second, and his legs felt like they weighed a ton. And it was only getting worse for him since he was unknowingly heading straight for the Sentry Bots as well.

()()()()()()

Another piece of Louis' armor broke off, the shoulder plate clattered onto the catwalk. He quickly patted out the fire before it burned through the layer of clothing.

"Why won't you die already?!" Spark shouted, swinging the blades of fire. "Who do you think you are?! Trying to be a hero?! Trying to make this shitty world better?! Or do you just want to get in bed with that girl? Because if you ask me, there's easier pussy out there!"

Spark dashed with both blades crossed and ready to swing outward. But Louis stood his ground with determination. As Spark got within inches of being in perfect range to lash out, Louis' Pip-Boy activated the V.A.T.S. again. The Rust Devil moved like a snail, the flames on the blades stretching like butter over bread. Louis' body ducked down just as the blades scissored outward, he shot both his hands up and grabbed Spark's arms by the elbows and held tight. The V.A.T.S. ended just as Louis stood fully back up, it may have been a long time to him, but Spark's mind was baffled by the inhuman speed and reflex that left him wide open.

Before he could try to free himself, Louis threw back his head and bashed Spark in the nose with a crunch. "You know why I'm doing this?!" another head bash to the teeth. "Why I'm helping someone I barely know?!" another shot to the chin. "Because it's the right thing to do, asshole! Someone has to do it!" the final head-butt went straight to Spark's forehead.

The world around them spun, but Spark was worse off as he crumbled to the catwalk floor, the blades slowly going out. Louis breathed heavily, pain stung in his skull but he was satisfied to see the man on the floor with blood dripping from his nose and mouth.

"Make friends with the catwalk. Because I'm about to put a few bullets in your head." Louis spat on him for extra measure.

But his victory was short lived, Spark quickly came to and leaned up. His eyes bloodshot with rage. "You think that's the first time I've had my face busted up?!" he spat a glob of blood and a tooth. "There's nothing you can do! Your friends are probably ashes by now!"

That sudden realization twisted his insides, he got so caught up in the fight that he completely forgot about them. His fists curled, teeth clenched tight. "Bastard, I'll make you suffer if they're hurt!" the Vault dweller reached out with his left fist to pick him up from the floor and punch his brains out.

A sharp beep drew his attention to the Pip-Boy on his wrist. The loading bar finally finished as a text rolled down the screen.

'Uplink complete. Voice command active and compatible.'

It said as the Vault Boy gave a chipper thumbs up. The blank screen flicked to a black and white image that looked like live security footage. It took Louis a moment to realize that the image came from outside and looking at the back of the Sentry Bots closing in on the fort. But he could only see five.

"What am I seeing? Where's this footage coming from?" Louis looked at the screen to figure it out. "How do I get out of this?"

Spark pulled himself back onto his feet. The flames of his blades extinguished and dragging on the floor. "Have you lost it? That thing better not be broken!"

"Back away before I shove those blades up your ass!" Louis warned with a finger pointed at him.

The Pip-Boy speaker picked up the command.

()()()

Outside, the still Sentry Bot suddenly activated and went backwards several feet before stopping.

()()()

Louis saw the movement on screen. It finally clicked, he wasn't seeing a security feed, he was seeing through the visor of one of the Sentry Bots. And the speaker acted as a voice command to control it. Plugging into the terminal somehow turned the military bot into a giant toy at his disposal and thus evening the playing field.

"As a matter of fact, there's nothing wrong with my Pip-Boy." Louis showed the screen to him. "I'm controlling one of your precious Sentry Bots! And I will use it to take you all down for good!"