Sorry for the long gap between my updates. Certain priorities took more attention after the last chapters upload. Anyway, here we are!
Also Lisowczycy's review will be answered here.
Hellfire Unleashed Pt. 1
October 31st, 2287
The Commonwealth, Boston Massachusetts
Nathan "Nate" Shaw
Recon Squad Gladius
Brotherhood of Steel
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Along the roadside, leaving the recon bunker behind, Nate and Rhys started hiking their way back to Malden Elementary with what gear they have left on their backs. Rhys was kept in the dark for a bit on why the Initiate assumed that this particular school would be their destination. The shrubbery gave Nate some cover more discomfort than its worth. He looked in both directions of the road to see the path barren of any animal, human hostile or human like hostile creatures of any kind. The thought of those new enemies from the chinese military struck him hard in the gut. His focus on rescuing his team was the only thought keeping him heaving out his stomach.
As the sun descended below the horizon, setting skies were replaced with rather clean night skies. The stars were just starting to light up, but it would take time for them to show even brighter. With that as their cue for Nate and Rhys to switch on their head lamps.
"Okay, Rhys this school is more of a hunch than a concrete destination." Nate explained on the road.
"So we're going to this school based on a hunch, because?" Rhys asked, lingering for his answer.
"Because, the egg heads at Vault-Tec built one of their shelters beneath that place. So if there's any school in the Commonwealth that could hide those things from before it's an underground fallout shelter. Vault 75. Me and my wife were denied that vault because my son Shaun was still just a newborn." Nate turned back around to move forward.
"Alright." Rhys said with no emotion.
"Also, what's happening here isn't going to be easy." Nate looked over to the higher rank soldier behind him, "I think we should consider backup."
Rhys's face was struck with a sudden glint of disbelief, "Are you serious?" Rhys's response felt like a whole 180 turn. After everything today, he sounded disgusted at the Initiate's suggestion.
"You listen to me and listen good, Initiate. We made it this far without turning back. Believe me I noticed. So I'll tell you now, dead or alive, we are pulling our men out! Like you said; back in your day, you confirmed your casualties in the Army. That's still true, right?"
Nate chuckled in response. Earlier today, Rhys was a struggling regular grunt who only felt alive with a mutant freak crushed under the heel of his boot. Anything else and he was a struggling knight itching for a fight, "Alright, let's go kick ass!" Nate boldly responded.
Before they could progress down the road, a flicker of fires erupted in the distance. Nate pulled out his binoculars and found someone in a suit of power armor he had never seen in person before. He saw early versions in schematics, but not in physical form.
"Holy shit." Nate handed Rhys the binoculars, "That pyro freak is wearing some armor I only saw on blueprints before the war."
"Well I'll be damned. That fucker is wearing Hellfire Power Armor. Those were made after the war by the old Enclave."
"Enclave?"
"I'll tell you later. Right now I think if we can get our hands on that suit, we might have an advantage at Malden. It may not be backup, but it's the next best thing."
"Agreed." Nate looked over at the pyro freak again and saw him exit his armor to replace the fusion core.
"C'mon he's out of the suit, let's get him!" Rhys said running his way to the defenseless raider.
Nate and Rhys rushed down the hill and caught the raider with his metal pants down. Next thing the two soldiers saw was a pile of plasma goo that used to be a gang of raiders.
"Alright, I'll get the fusion core in. You know more about this armor than me so you take the helm." Nate said while searching the residue for the core.
Rhys opened up the suit and stepped in. Following Nate while injecting the fusion core to the back.
"Alright, tin man, you're charged and ready. Let's go get our men." Nate patted Rhys back shoulder.
"Fuckin A, brother!" Rhys said while requipping his laser rifle. Circling his shoulder blades to get comfortable in the suit. After shaking out his legs, Rhys and Nate resumed their hike to Malden.
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Gear up!
October 31st, 2287
Robotics Disposal Ground, Boston Massachusetts
Mike Daly
Sanctuary Hills Militia
New Commonwealth Army
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Michael, Lucy and Sturges made their way to the Robotics Disposal Ground in their newly repaired and fully fueled APC. Michael and Lucy were armed with 9mm pistols and M-14 rifles. Sturges was the only one of the three carrying a remington 870 shotgun.
"Alright, I hid the stash under the sentry. He's shut down so he won't be moving anywhere. Luckily I kept the holotape that can turn him back on." Mike explained on their way down the junkyard.
The three went inside the nearby shack and plugged the tape in the only terminal. Michael initiated the sentry to patrol the junkyard. Michael brushed away the dirt and debris to reveal a metal hatch.
"Clever hiding spot, Michael." Lucy knelt down to help open the heavy door.
"Hmm, there's a Fat Man over there." Sturges noticed. Starting to climb over the wrecked cars to fetch the treasure.
"Go stash that in the APC." Mike said before hauling open the hatch with Lucy.
The hatch screeched open with 200 years of time groaning out in the air. The ladder down to the inside leads to a dark room.
"Hey Lucy, drop down the light." Mike asked from down the room.
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One whole hour of hauling between Michael's hidden stash and the APC. The three soldiers leave the junkyard with a full crate of six AER-9 laser rifles and another crate of fusion cells. Given their current population in Sanctuary this is more than enough ordinance to bring. Lastly they brought over food supplies and compressed water. Not to mention they have a Fat Man and an extra sentry bot for Sanctuary's security.
"Definitely a great find, Michael. You really thought well ahead, here." Lucy said as she took her seat in the APC.
"Yeah… And don't worry, this wasn't my only stash in the Commonwealth." Michael revved the APC to operate.
"Alright, Michael, the Sentry's already moving up. Let's get back to Sanctuary." Sturges said while shutting the APC's back door.
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Hellfire Unleashed Pt. 2
October 31st, 2287
The Commonwealth, Boston Massachusetts
Nathan "Nate" Shaw
Recon Squad Gladius
Brotherhood of Steel
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Brandis, Elliot and Rothchild laid on the floor with hands bound from behind their backs. Elliot studied the routines of these tall super mutants, one of them in particular. The mutant that Nate managed to strike with his knife appeared, George Liu. He struggled to switch off his pip pad with his wounded hand, no thanks to Nate. There may not be any chance from this, but any moment helps them find a way out.
Elliot took a daring look at the screen. He saw a man he didn't recognize wrapping his arms around a woman whose face sparked an idea sparked for him and the rest of them.
"That woman there. She was pretty." Elliot asked.
The Shen Lung quickly whipped his gaze over to him and glared menacingly, "What did you just say?"
"That woman on your pip pad. She looked nice. And that man, was that you?" Elliot answered to the tall mutant.
"Yeah, she was my fiance before the war. Your military descendents took her away from me when we were sent to concentration camps. Her memory is the only reason I fight for."
"I remember that day. Back home, they were rounding up every man, woman and child who had asian heritage. A lot of my co-workers at my hospital were taken away that day."
"How would you know?"
"Because I was there-"
The door burst open in sudden surprise from behind George and Elliot with a loud thud, "The other two soldiers are just outside the school grounds. Let's get ready!" Another Mutant soldier arrived with the news.
"Hey look, one of those soldiers is just like us. It's a long shot, but he may know a few things. You never know till you try." Elliot said before the Mutant could leave.
The Chinese Shen Lung, George Liu looked away from the soldiers words, and resumed his position in the vault.
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Before Nate and Rhys could travel further down the school, a plan was needed to be discussed, "Alright here's the plan, Rhys. Our top priority is to find our men and kill any mutants that stand between us. We don't know where they're hiding them, and they won't give away their positions so easily. We're pretty much going in blind, so we need to be smart and think on our feet. Every room down there needs to be picked clean of any chinese hostiles. I'll take point when we get down there. Every room we clear I need you to watch my back and provide overwatch. Got it?" Nate explained on their way down through the metal barred gates.
"You got it, Nate." Rhys said, still armed in his new Hellfire power armor.
Down the stairs to the basement level. The Vault door was in view, Vault 75, and there's still no sign of any hostiles. Nate expected this all too well from fighting the chinese armies. Then again, their Dragoon soldiers were difficult enough, but those tall soldiers were something else entirely. Approaching the front room and was still empty in silence. Nate and Rhys kept their rifles on the swivel. Rhys's infrared HUD was still running empty, and Nate kept his ears open for any noise to be caught. Nate tapped Rhys's mettalic arm to gain his attention. He waved his armored partner to move up as he proceeded to the nearby elevator. The way was clear and empty. Nate knew those chinese super mutants were expecting them. Figured the best way to proceed with their operation was to not disappoint. Rhys and Nate entered the elevator going downward. They kept their rifles up front at the door, and were not introduced with gun fire, but bodies in military uniforms.
"Fucking Gunners." Rhys spat, "Don't let this fool you, Nate. These men were gunners. Mercenaries for hire… They're more of a cartel than an army."
Nate swallowed the sudden view. Even if Rhys was telling the truth, the look still worked psychologically. Memories of his dying brothers in Alaska flashed for a moment. Shaking out the images, Nate was about to step out of the elevator, but stopped in his place. He knelt down on the bodies and found a string of rigged grenades laced around the bodies. Just like before in Alaska, some things never change. Nate took a moment to disable the trap and they advanced down the halls. Nearing the next corner, Nate took a peek over his shoulder to find a barrage of laser fire smack him at the length of his facial hair. He was able to turn the corner fast enough to gather himself. The fire is proving an obstacle but not for Rhys. Nate sent Rhys to move up and lay down armored cover fire. The shooters on the other side were invisible, but the sources of their laser fire gave away their positions. Only two fighters were between them and their captives. After four precise seconds, Nate peeked over Rhy's armored fatigue and laid down assisted firepower. The invisible shooters took a good number of laser rounds, but thankfully the BLR-4 rifles had a superb amount per clip and the damage is on par with a standard issue plasma rifle. The two chinese soldiers went down and decloaked. One of them was still coughing up his final words.
"Long live the Shen Lungs." The mutant soldier said before gargling up blood.
Nate closed his eyes for a moment and laid a shot in his head to end his suffering. He did the same for the second soldier. Even though he was already dead. You can't be too careful on a confirmed kill. Rhys advanced for a moment to overwatch further down the hallway. Nate took a brief moment to close his eyes and tap a silent nod on their behalf. They may have been members of the chinese communist armies, but that war ended over 200 years ago. Seeing their fight prolong after all this time almost broke his heart, but he had a job to finish. He passed Rhys and advanced through the halls.
"Did you hear what that mutant said?" Rhys asked.
"Yeah, Shen Lungs. They're a type of dragon from Chinese mythology. Masters of storms and rain. Must be what they call themselves… C'mon let's go find our men."
From corner to corner were more Gunner corpses and no more Shen Lung soldiers as before. The duo eventually came across the Vault's atrium. A two story recreational area with a cafeteria and railed upper floors.
From above a full barrage of Shen Lungs opened fire on the two in all directions. Nate took heavy wounds but could still fight, but not for much longer. Rhys was able to fight a little longer given his new power armor. He pulled out a grenade and threw it over the cafeteria. The whole floor in that section above exploded with a shake of shrapnel. The moment was brief but it was enough for the two to gain an advantage and lay down headshots from disoriented hostiles. Regardless, Nate was still under heavy fire, and was bound to go out any moment. Rhys raced over to him and stood in front of him to take the hits with his power armor. This gave Nate the time to find sufficient cover. He noticed a long table,racing over and mantled over for cover behind the overturned table with Rhys following a moment later after taking a few more hits. The constant shots of laser fire started to amplify in volume. Given their confined interior space, the sound began pounding in Nate's eardrums. For a moment he ceased fire to rub out his bothersome ear. While still in cover, Nate took the moment to swap out a fresh fusion cell. Their laser fire resumed as the smell of plasma grew thicker. After one of the Shen Lungs fell from the second story railing, assumed dead, the final contact finally dropped dead as the weapons finally ceased firing.
"Alright we're all clear." Rhys announced rather loudly.
"Alright. Now if I were hiding captives in a vault, I'd likely hide them where the most security can be found." Nate said walking away from the table.
A sudden grunt on the other side of the room sprouted unexpectedly. The Shen Lung trooper that fell off the railing must've survived.
Nate ran over to the source to find a slightly wounded Shen lung. His leg is out, but he still can't stand, and his weapon is nowhere near his hands.
"Let's put this fucker out of his misery." Rhys glared.
Nate pointed his gun at the mutant piece of shit, but then the Shen Lung soldier looked straight at Nate and his eyes opened in surprise, "You... I know your face." The Shen Lung soldier gathered his thoughts through the pain.
"You were that Lieutenant at Little China's border. You still believed we were americans."
What this mutant said was true. That operation was sitting in the back of his mind for so long he almost forgot. Those prisoners on the bus. Which bus he couldn't remember, but he was definitely there.
"I remember your face that day. I saw sorrow and empathy. You were helpless to do anything for us."
That's when a memory sparked in Nate's mind. The chinese man in the back of a school bus for Malden Elementary.
"I do remember you." Nate raised his barrel away from the Shen Lung.
Rhys had no clue what they were talking about, but just in case he kept his rifle pointed at the trooper.
"I'm George Liu… Am I still an American?" The Shen Lung, George looked away from Nate as he regained his consciousness.
Nate looked over at Rhys and took back his rifle. With his eyes shut to the realization before him. Nate pulled out a stimpack and hovered it before George.
"Where's our men? The ones you took. Tell me and it's yours." Nate asked.
"Overseer's office. The key card is over in the reactor room." George spilled.
Nate gave George the stimpack and left him alone with Rhys following afterwards.
The reactor room had a real interesting recreational set up. Aside from the machinery, they had a little playground and baseball ring. Given the vault was under a school, the kids must've been a priority. Nate decided to investigate the Vault furthermore after retrieving his captive men.
"What the Hell was Vault-Tec doing here?" Rhys asked Nate.
"We'll find out later. I got the key." Nate picked out the overseer's card from the fallen debris.
"Roger that."
Making their way to the Overseer's office with their key in hand, the duo encountered little resistance along the way. The average pattern sweep of cleaning every corner of any potential hostile locations revealed no contacts.
Inside the Overseer's office, Elliot, Brandis and Rothchild were found bound in the corner of the office. Nate was the only one able to enter the room and untied his teammates. Given Rhy's new bulky amor.
"You guys alright?" Nate said after cutting Rothchild out of his binds last.
"We're okay, son. Thanks for the rescue." Paladin Brandis began rubbing his wrists.
"Let's get out of here." Rothschild said before picking up a nearby laser weapon from one of the Shen Lung's.
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The group was able to escape the vault with zero hostile contacts from the Shen Lungs and with all the data logs of the past 210 years from the Overseer's terminal. Before stepping out of that awful school, Nate took a moment to look back and remember that Shen Lung who recognized him.
Elliot walked over from behind to his old CO and looked up at the same place he's looking at. Up on the rooftop of Malden the Shen Lung, George Liu decloaked and gave a quick nod to the two soldiers. Nate gave a simple two fingered wave while Elliot returned the nod with his own.
Next thing they saw was George cloaking again likely leaving the place as well.
"Think we'll see them again?" Elliot asked while they were catching up with the rest of their team.
"That one in particular… Probably not, but I can't say the same for any others like him. Don't worry, private. Next time we see them, we'll be ready." Nate patted Elliot's shoulders.
"I'm sorry, private? You know I've been a knight while you were sleeping under ice."
"And who do you think made you the soldier you are, today?" Nate smirked in return.
Elliot responded with a simple nod.
"But yeah… Apologies, Knight. Let's get back to base." Nate jabbed an elbow at Elliot's side.
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Travelling further into the night at about 0300 hours. The group finally arrived back at the Cambridge Police Station. The first one to greet them was Scribe Haylen and Sally.
Sally charged straight for Elliot in a crashing bear hug. Haylen helped the rest of the members inside the station. Before Rhys could resume his work, he exited his new power armor in the garage. Nate made his way to embrace Dogmeat, and Codsworth with Rothchild steadily behind.
"I haven't been with Brotherhood members in years." Rothschild said walking around the front.
"So what's your story?" Nate said before taking a swig from his canteen. He offered a drink for Rothchild which he happily accepted.
"Ten years ago… The Brotherhood was starting to cripple. After our Elder at the time, Owen Lyons died, his daughter took the mantle, but she died shortly after in battle. Eventually we began electing one ineffective leader after another. I was almost one of those leaders myself, but then Maxson came of age."
"Maxson? As in a relative to Roger Maxson?"
Rothschild stood still for a moment. Seeing this initiate know the Brotherhood's founder was a shock.
"Rothchild… Do you know about the 'Nuntius Ferro Protocol'?" Nate asked the old Brotherhood member.
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Inside the police station, Paladin Brandis was going through his debrief with Haylen and Danse. Seeing other members of the Brotherhood feels almost unreal, but then again, the last 24 hours he's been through has been as eventful as when he first arrived in the Commonwealth.
"Well Paladin Brandis. Thanks for the details on your reports. When reinforcements arrive I'll make sure they're logged for their next of kin. Till then, why don't you get some rest. You've earned it, brother." Paladin Danse told the old codger.
Brandis stood from his seat to stretch out his old muscles, "Thank you, Danse. So who's the new Initiate? I don't recognize him."
"Well believe it or not… Why don't you take a seat first."
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Scribe Haylen took a quick look at Knight Rhys's wounds. Luckily he took minimal damage regarding bleeds. Some bruises and moderate scrapes. Also Haylen was able to get a good look at Rhys's shirtless pecs as she assessed his damage. Definitely a heated moment for the scribe.
"So how did it feel out there?" Haylen asked.
"I'd say it was worth the injuries. We managed to rescue Brandis and Rothchild. Retrieved more power armor, and not to mention we got intel on a new threat and vault."
"I'd say the mission was well worth its wounds. For you at least." Scribe started finishing the patch up on Rhys's arm.
"Oh c'mon, I know you're enjoying the view." Rhys smirked.
Haylen rolled her eyes at him even though he was right, but she pushed it away and began her last stitch on his shoulder, "Yeah… The view is great… Then again, I gotta focus on the Brotherhood. Cause right now you're not bleeding Brotherhood, you're bleeding actual blood right now."
"Heh, yeah very friggin funny, doc." Rhys looked away as he saw Danse explaining their new initiate's history.
Rothschild stepped inside with Nate and his dog and mister handy following shortly behind. Elliot, the Storyteller and EDNA arrived just after. The last straggler of the group was Dave, the squad's personal Mister Gutsy.
"So… This is the one who activated the old protocol?" Rothschild asked.
Rhys spoke up first, "Yeah, me, Danse and Haylen were there when the message played. The Storyteller too, he can show you the recording later if need be. Also I think it's safe to say the message sparked a personal interest in our well known and annoying scholar here."
Everyone started looking over at the Storyteller at once again, "Uh-yes, EDNA still has the recording, I'd be happy to show all of you that weren't there. Follow me." For a moment, Nate could spot a stutter in his words. Nate decided to excuse himself from the group.
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After everyone was caught up on everything and the group managed to settle out their wounds. Nate stepped out for a minute to have a quick smoke before turning in for the night. Dave shortly followed after to resume his patrol routine around the police station's barricades.
"This is Initiate Nate of the Brotherhood of Steel. Entry log number six, current time is November first, 2287 04:16 hours. I'm not even sure where to begin. I guess we'll start with the findings in Vault 75. After me and Knight Rhys rescued a few of our men we dug up the information on Vault 75. My God, the vault was built to study and assess the children's peak physical and mental condition. Making them into super soldiers or something. Any kids who made the cut were killed and taken for God knows what, I can't remember. This was all approved by the military I fought with. Then again, my vault was no better. I actually met another familiar face since my last log. I don't know his name, fuck I can't even remember his face, but how he knew me… Well, that struck a chord in me all the same. Anyway, once dawn arrives, me and my group are going to Diamond City. It's time I continue the search for my son. I put enough time away from it long enough. Anyway, any more information or details can be found in Paladin Danse's mission report. End recording."
Putting away his cigarette pack, Rhys showed up after with a tall flask and offered a swig to Nate, "Consider this my apology for how I've been treating you."
Nate took the open flask and swigged down from what turns out to be rum. The taste was a tad unexpected, but Nate was able to swallow the liquor. Leaving a few quick coughs from going down the wrong pipe.
"Strong kick… It's been awhile since I had rum." Nate gave back Rhys's flask.
"I figured we deserved some of the good shit after today. I think I see why Maxson vouches for you. You're one hell of a soldier, Initiate… And I'm proud to call you a brother in our army." Rhys offered a fist to bump. Which Nate gladly returned.
"By the way, Initiate. That one… Shen Lung, he knew you from before the war?"
"Not personally. It was back when we won the war in Alaska. Long story short, we did some awful things to asian americans in the name of our country. I couldn't help those people, but what happened today was the best I could do. And that was 200 years ago."
"Normally we don't take prisoners."
"Well we didn't really take him hostage, so in a way we didn't really take any prisoners in the first place." Nate explained.
"True. Well I'll see you inside. I need some shut eye." Rhys yawned out his sleep as he went back inside.
Flicking away the stub of his last smoke for the night, Nate returned inside the police station and went straight to sleep.
Here's to Creativity!
