What's up everybody? I'm back with a brand new chapter. Again I got some amazing reviews in the last chapter and I greatly appreciate your support guys.

Reviews:

RebelSnake: Thanks bud.

Guest: Thank you very much.

CyberJordan: Believe me, Eric's going to have some fun with these Warrior Squads.

Oddliver: Thanks bud. Here's the next chapter.

Chapter 5: Revelations and Disguises

321 Miles Northeast of Washington D.C: June 9, 2279. 4:50 A.M.
Authors Note: Approximately 100 miles northwest of New York City.

A thick fog set across what seemed to be a simple U.S. Military Airbase. Two long landing strips, one of them housing a lone C-130 that was surprisingly still intact after 200 long years. Dozens of hangars were standing on both sides of the airstrips, each one of them concealing the superiority of America's proud Air Force. Many fighters and bombers remain ready to take to the skies once again. Close to the entrance of the base was the air traffic control tower which also housed the central operations command post. Patrolling the entirety of the base were several Sentry Bots and Mr. Gutsies.

Though the surface of the base didn't look that massive, the underground of it was much larger than Raven Rock and several vaults combined.

Behind the main hangar was a ramp that lead down to the helicopter bay. Several combat and transport choppers like the Vertibird, the UH-1 Iroquois (Huey), the CH-47 Chinook, the CH-54 Sky crane, and the UH-60 Blackhawk remained dormant. Beneath that was the vehicle bay where many different kinds of tanks such as the M60 Patton, the M4 Sherman, and M551 Sheridan were fully stocked and ready for war. Along with the tanks were the M113 APCs, humvees, M35 transport trucks, Marine AAV (Amphibious Assault Vehicles) and M706 Military Police carriers. Each aircraft and vehicle had been modified to use fusion power instead of fossil fuels.

Heading further down lead to the food and supply storages, the armory, the barracks and the nuclear reactor was one level down. The final level, behind a massive steel door held the history of the United States Armed Forces.

Back on the surface the fog began to clear, giving view to a tattered but still standing American Flag by the entrance. The sign next to it was falling apart, but one word could be read plain as day.

REBIRTH

Marigold Metro Entrance: June 9, 2279. 4:55 A.M.

Eric finally made his way out of Marigold Metro carrying the briefcase filled with Lesko's vials for the ant cure. It was still dark out and the air was thick with the smoke from the raging fires across the wastes. He thought back to the Citadel, seeing all the bodies of his fallen brothers and sisters…and Sarah. He wondered, how? After all the progress him and the Brotherhood had made in almost two years, how did it all go down the drain in just two days? Eric couldn't wrap his finger around it. How Casdin and the Outcasts managed to get an army of power armored soldiers on his side was a mystery. The real question was who the hell were these guys? It couldn't be the Enclave, because the remnants of their army were finally wiped out over a year ago. It couldn't be Talon Company, because they're nothing more than hired guns. Raiders? Very impossible. It could be average people, but there weren't that many left in the Capital Wastes and Casdin wouldn't lower himself to recruit 'worthless wildlife.' The only other explanation could be… 'No, it couldn't be.'

'SNAP'

Eric was cut off from his thoughts when a bullet hit the ground next to his feet. He spun around and spotted a Talon Hit Squad with their Chinese assault rifles raised to him. Eric's face turned murderous at the sight of the mercenaries. "I don't have time for this shit." He muttered under his breath. Eric set the briefcase down and rested his hand on his 9mm Beretta just waiting for the mercs to make their move. He looked directly at the squad leader. Immediately he saw that these mercs were different from the ones he had come across before. Their faces were bruised and they actually seemed scared to be this close to him and for good reason too.

'Let's see if I can get them to surrender without a fight, I need to get back to the others.' "You guys just don't know when to give up do you? I thought raiders were stupid, but this," He waved his arm indicating the mercenaries. "is pretty fucking sad. You have tried and tried again to get rid of me. You've sent your best men after me in ten-man kill squads and even they weren't able to get a single shot off before I filled each one of them full of holes. For Christ sake I broke into your own base and killed everyone there, including your commander. Do you honestly think that you have a chance against me?" Bragging wasn't his style, but psychological warfare was, and he knew it was working when he saw the look of fear on the mercs' faces was replaced with something else. Before any of them could speak, he continued. "Now what I really don't get is why you guys are still trying to claim this stupid bounty on my head. The entire wasteland is under siege. I'm going to take a guess and say that Talon Company's been having problems with these mystery invaders, haven't they?"

The group exchanged nervous glances before setting their weapons on the ground and putting their hands up. They knew all those stories about the Lone Wanderer were true, so they knew exactly what he was capable of. Eric was shocked that he actually talked some sense into the thick headed mercs. The leader of the group, looked to be around his mid-forties, tanned skin, had a military style haircut and was the same size as Eric. He was the first to speak up.

"We don't want to fight Wanderer." He admitted with a tone of honesty and regret. That's twice Eric had been shocked in one day. He also recognized that voice but couldn't place his finger on whose it was. "Look, none of us wanted any of this."

Wanting to make sure he had the upper hand in case the mercenaries tried anything, Eric immediately drew his Beretta and aimed it at the leader's head. "You have thirty seconds to explain before I kill all three of you in a heartbeat." He sneered vehemently.

"My name is Anthony, this is Baxter." He indicated to the merc on his left. "And this is Frank." Anthony indicated to the man on his right.

Eric looked at them, and then nodded for Anthony to continue. "We came here to D.C. from a small settlement just North of Fredericksburg. We left, because the raiders were increasing their attacks on the camp so we packed up and left with our families hoping to live a better life here. We heard all those stories about you and how you're helping the Brotherhood keep people safe."

Eric lowered his pistol away from Anthony's face, but kept it held in his direction. "Go on!" He ordered.

"When we got here we met a group of Brotherhood soldiers who welcomed us to the Capital Wastes and told what settlements to head to. When we were out of range of the soldiers, Talon Company came out of nowhere and surrounded us. They told us that if we tried to get the Brotherhood's attention they'd kill us. They stripped us of our weapons then dragged us to one of their outposts where we met their commander. They started beating the hell out of us. They asked us where we came from, who we worked for, why we came into their territory. After we answered all of their questions, they told us that we were going to help them kill you. They said that if we refused, they would slowly torture our family and force us to watch." Anthony was trying hard to hold back the tears in his eyes. "They promised us that if we killed you and brought your body back as proof, they would let our families go free."

Eric always knew when someone was lying. Not even the best of smooth talkers could lie to him and get away with it. Eric studied the merc's expressions and the tone of voice he spoke in. He knew right then and there, they were telling the truth. Eric holstered his sidearm and cleared his throat. "Ok, so then why did you take a shot at me?"

Anthony sighed. "Because that was my opportunity to save our families, but something told me that no matter what, they'd still kill them, otherwise all three of us would've kept shooting. I'm sorry."

Eric nodded, because he knew that was the usual outcome at the end of every deal with Talon Company. "You'd be right about that. Talon Company never holds up their end of the bargain." Eric said.

Eric saw as their hopes of getting to see their families alive again quickly diminished. He looked down at his Pip-Boy and saw the time. 5:02 A.M. 'We still have time.' Eric looked back up at the mercs. "Where is the outpost your families are being held at?" He asked them.

All three of their heads shot up and looked to him. Frank was the first to speak. "That bicycle factory, why?"

'Red Racer Factory.' "Grab your guns and let's get moving!" He ordered. The three mercs were shocked. They just tried to kill him and yet he's still helping them. Eric turned around and saw them still standing there. "You want to get your families back or are you just gonna stay here with your thumbs up your asses?" He asked losing his patience as he started walking again.

The mercs snapped back to reality and picked their rifles up to sling them over their shoulders. As they started walking forward, Eric stopped dead in his tracks and spun around to face them. Before they realized it, Eric had his Trench knife to Anthony's throat and stared at him with a look that would've made most enemies raise the white flag. "If I find out that this is a trap or you're lying to me at all. I won't hesitate in killing you. You hear me?"

Frank and Baxter feebly nodded while Anthony sputtered in fear. "L-l loud and clear."

Eric smirked and withdrew his knife. "Good, now let's go!"

Grayditch Refugee Camp: June 9, 2279. 5:08 A.M.

Sheriff Simms looked out to where Megaton used to be. The town was still a raging inferno from the explosives that Donovan and his Rangers set. Simms couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness about the town's destruction. He had lived in that town his whole life and now it was gone. What was he going to do? What were the townsfolk going to do now that their homes were gone? Right now, all he could do was stand guard and pray to God that they would make it to the Purifier.

Red Racer Factory: June 9, 2279. 5:16 A.M.

"Let's see…no guards at the entrance, no machine gun turrets, and one sniper." If Eric had a bottle cap for every time he came across a trap he'd have gotten rich a long time ago. Good thing he knows how Talon Company likes to fight. Rookies like to run and gun while their expert and veteran fighters prefer using guerilla warfare tactics. Looks like he was going up against veterans. Now all he had to do was locate their defensive positions and take them out, but it wouldn't be easy.

Eric knew if any of the guards were aware of his presence, they would alert the inside and the hostages would be dead before they would make it through the front door. He also knew that Talon Company would have an even number of guards so they could keep an eye on each other, literally. If one gets killed his partner will spot it from his defensive position and the mission is a failure. If Eric is gonna help Anthony and his friends get their families back, they're gonna have to work together if they don't want Talon Company on alert. Something was off about Anthony though. Every time Eric saw him he was rubbing his face like his skin was uncomfortable. Normally Eric would assume it's the bruises on his face, but Anthony kept rubbing the spots that weren't bruised.

Eric turned to the others and said. "I've already spotted two Talon positions; there's gotta be two more positions we have to locate before we can take out the first two." He grabbed Anthony by the shoulder and pointed towards Bailey's Crossroads. "The merc on the roof of the factory keeps looking down by Bailey's Crossroads. But he's also looking down by the overturned trailer with radioactive barrels…looks like he's wearing a radiation suit." Eric looked at the merc by the trailer and he noticed him staring into the factory parking lot meaning that there was a merc down there. Things just got more difficult. "Shit." He muttered under his breath.

Anthony looked at Eric. "What?"

Eric pointed out to all four spots where the Talon mercs are hiding. "The one on the roof has his eyes on all three mercs on the ground. Killing him will alert the rest. The one by the trailer has his attention focused in the parking lot, so there's another one there and we can't get to him. Either way, no matter how I do this, one of them will alert the inside before I can kill all four. That's why I need your help, all three of you."

"What could we do?" Asked Frank with uncertainty.

"We aren't very good fighters." Baxter added.

"You don't need to be when you're within close-range." Eric said with a malicious smile. He pulled off his combat pack and pulled out three Stealth Boys. "Especially when they can't see you."

The three each grabbed one and looked to Eric. Anthony spoke up. "Oh, so we just activate these and choose a merc then we kill them when they aren't expecting it?"

"Anthony, I want you to take the guy in the parking lot. All you have to do is aim over the edge. Baxter, you take the merc at Bailey's Crossroads, and Frank you take the one by the overturned trailer. I'll take out the sniper." Eric unslung his scoped M16 and took aim at the Talon sniper. "We've only got one shot at this; if we mess this up…I think you know." The three nodded grimly. "Here's how it goes. Baxter, you fire the first shot. The moment you do, the rest of us take out our targets simultaneously."

Baxter pulled back the charging handle of his rifle with a determined look on his face. "I won't let you guys down."

The three men activated the stealth boys and went after their designated mercs. Eric went prone and had the sniper in his sights and waited for Baxter to fire off the first shot. He looked back over to Anthony and noticed he was still rubbing at his face. 'I'll ask him about it later.' He thought. Finally, a shot was fired out in the distance. Eric aimed through his M16 and fired three shots at the sniper. He smirked with glee as he saw the sniper fall off the roof and hit the ground with a sickening thud. Anthony deactivated his Stealth Boy and tossed it aside.

Eric got back to his feet and charged for the entrance of the tricycle factory.

Meanwhile at Tenpenny Tower.

Roy Philips and his ghouls were packing up all of their supplies and getting ready to head south, as far away from the Capital Wasteland as possible. After the broadcast Three-Dog had transmitted across the wastes, they decided to find a new place to live. Bessie Lynn, Roy's girlfriend had just finished loading the last of her stuff from New Urban Apparel while Michael Masters was giving the ghouls a variety of energy weapons to take on the power armored foes. When everyone went to the main gates, Roy heard the sound of a cannon discharging. Not a second later, a large section of the west side of the building was blown apart. Several more cannon rounds soon followed the first strike.

While Roy and his ghouls were making a mad dash away from the tower, one ghoul wearing combat armor and wielding a combat shotgun went down to the building's basement and left through the metro tunnels. Back on the ground level Roy and his ghouls were almost in the clear until they saw several power armored soldiers come out from behind their hiding spots. They unleashed a volley of a laser and plasma fire on the fleeing residents. Their pleas for mercy didn't stop the hail of fire that was raining down on them.

At the entrance of Warrington Station, the surviving ghoul watched in mix of anger and horror as Roy Phillips was reduced to a pile of goo while the rest were trying to escape the slaughter they'd ran into. It was pointless. One by one they were all gunned down in cold blood.

The ghoul took off in a dead sprint towards the purifier with the same thought running through his mind. 'Have to find Eric.'

RobCo Facility Parking Lot

The Outcasts kept firing their howitzers and tanks until Tenpenny Tower collapsed into a pile of rubble. Underneath his power helmet, Protector Mullen was smiling at the damage he and his men had delivered to the ghoul settlement. His radio officer came up from behind him and handed over the radio. "This is Mullen, it's done."

"Good work Mullen, according to Casdin, your next target is Little Lamplight."

"Understood. What's the status of my squads?" Mullen asked.

"Warrior Five is standing guard at Arlington Library; Warrior Four is currently en-route for Canterbury Commons, Warrior Three is waiting to strike the Megaton survivors by the Anchorage War Memorial, we've lost contact Warrior Two, and Warrior One is starting their attack on Arefu."

Mullen's brow furrowed. "Any idea why we lost contact with Two?"

"Negative sir. We haven't heard from them for over an hour."

"Send in Warrior Five! I want to know what the hell happened to my men!"

"Yes sir."

Protector Mullen got an uneasy feeling in the pit of his gut. To him, his fireteams were more elite than Enclave Hellfire soldiers and NCR Rangers combined. Killing one of his men was like killing a Legendary Deathclaw. He would look into it later, right now he had to focus on the destruction of the Capital Wasteland and its settlements.

Red Racer Factory CEO Offices: June 9, 2279. 5:31 A.M.

After silently making their way through the factory, Eric and company were waiting outside of the late Surgeon's office. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake the memory of that psychotic mad scientist bitch and her pet glowing one Stefan. With his Colt .45 at the ready, he had Anthony and the others wait by the balcony to make sure Talon Company didn't get the drop on them. From what Anthony said, there were only two mercs in the office. Without wasting another second, he barged through the office doors and saw one merc try to grab his rifle as fast as he could, but Eric was faster and two precision shots to the chest took care of him easily. Before he could look for the other merc, a beautiful young girl with long brown hair stepped out from where Stefan's cage was. She couldn't've been more than 20 and had a young baby boy in her arms.

Eric immediately went towards the girl, but she stopped him in his tracks when she mouthed "stop." Eric immediately knew what was wrong. A merc was hiding behind the wall with his weapon at the ready. Drawing his M16 he aimed at the wall the merc was taking cover behind and motioned for the girl to hurry to him. The moment she took the first stepped he unleashed a full thirty round mag into the wall. There was a gaping hole that went through to where the merc was standing. After slapping a fresh mag into his rifle, Eric pulled a frag grenade out of his combat pack, but before tossing it down by the mercs last position he turned towards the girl and asked. "Is there anyone else over there?"

She shook her head. "They're all dead." She replied sadly.

Needing to hear no more words, Eric pulled the pin and lobbed the grenade towards Stefan's cage. As the grenade hit the floor they both heard "SHIT" and saw a merc dive right in front of them. "Perfect." Eric growled as he fired his M16 at the merc. A couple seconds later the grenade detonated and blew apart the wall that separates Stefan's cage and the main office, knocking Eric and the girl off their feet.

After the dust had cleared Eric pulled the girl off the ground and made sure her and the baby we're ok. "Is he ok?" She nodded. "Are you ok?" She nodded again. "I should've thought that through. Let's go…I never caught your name?"

"Amanda and this is Tim." The girl indicated to the baby boy she had cradled in her arms. "Who are you?" She asked.

"Eric. I came here with Anthony, Frank, and Baxter." He replied.

"Baxter's alive? Tim, your daddy's alive!" She asked excitedly.

"We better get out of here." Eric said, not wanting to waste any more time.

Before leaving the room, he saw something on one of the desks that caught his attention. It was a photo of an all too familiar mercenary and a photo of Anthony. Suddenly Eric remembered why Anthony's voice sounded familiar. At that moment he managed to put two and two together. He immediately stormed out of the room with Amanda in tow to confront Anthony about his discovery.

When he found him guarding the balcony he saw Frank lying dead on the ground to the left of him and Baxter was nowhere in sight. "What happened to the others?" Eric asked.

Anthony turned to Eric and tried to look innocent. "One of them got Frank in the throat. Baxter went to check to make sure there weren't any more hiding."

Eric raised an eyebrow, completely unconvinced. "You want to know something?" Anthony raised an eyebrow at his question. "It's amazing how facial reconstruction can fool even the smartest of enemies. The only thing that sucks about them is how your face feels uncomfortable the first few weeks after the operation."

Anthony was still playing the innocent child, but Eric noticed he was getting nervous. "What are you talking about?"

"Cut the bullshit! You can lie all you want, but I know it's you Lag-Bolt." Eric sneered. Lag-Bolt was the only Talon Company merc that had ever outsmarted him. He had slipped through Eric's grasp one too many times and he wasn't going to let him get away again.

Lag-Bolt immediately went from looking innocent to malicious and raised his rifle at Eric. "I should've known this disguise wouldn't have lasted much longer. However, I did make it farther than most of my comrades don't you think? Pinkerton takes his job seriously…It's intriguing how money can bring you so far ahead in life."

"Where's the real Anthony?" Eric asked while making a mental note to kill Pinkerton for working with Talon Company.

"Dead. After I took care of the worthless fuck I brought his head with me to Pinkerton. With a little bit of compensation, he made me a new man." He said with a malicious smile.

"You can't be something you never were Lag-Bolt." Eric retorted, causing Lag-Bolt's temper to rise.

"Make jokes all you want, but I've got you right where I want you."

Eric stepped in front of Amada and her child as a human shield. "And where might that be exactly?"

Lag-Bolt gave Eric a bone chilling smile before answering. "Right in my crosshairs."

Eric returned an equally chilling smile of his own. "The way I see it, you're gonna die the same way your brother did. Like a little bitch!"

Lag-Bolt's temper reached a new level. He wasn't about to let Eric get away with talking about his older brother. As he was about to pull the trigger Baxter came running up the stairs and fired his assault rifle at Lag-Bolt, hitting him in the legs. He dropped to his knees and screamed in agony. Eric didn't waste time as he grabbed the wounded merc by the ears and repeatedly kneed him in the face. He then grabbed him by the throat and looked him dead in the eyes. "Say hello to your brother for me." Those were the last words Lag-Bolt would hear before getting kicked over the edge of the balcony and being impaled by a metal bar.

"Amanda!" Eric turned and to see Baxter in a tearful reunion with Amanda and his son. As much as he enjoyed happy reunions he looked at his Pip-Boy and the time read 5:41 A.M.

"Guys." Eric said pulling the two out of their moment. "I hate to break up the reunion, but we have to get back to Grayditch. They're going to start moving for the Purifier and I don't know about you guys, but I don't want to be left behind." The two nodded before hurrying for the building exit.

The Grayditch Refugee Camp was dead ahead of them, but before they could make it any further. A firm voice ordered them to "STOP!" Eric and the others turned around to find four soldiers in Advanced Power Armor Mk II aiming plasma rifles at them. Eric and Baxter stepped in front of Amanda as human shields and raised their rifles to the armored opponents. The tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife. The uneasy silence didn't make things any better for Eric and was about to say something until the squad leader piped up. "Come now. Do you really think the two of you can take on the four of us?"

Before either Eric or Baxter said anything, they spotted three Brotherhood Officers coming up behind the enemy soldiers. Eric and Baxter exchanged a relieved look before looking back at the squad leader. "The two of us alone, no."

Baxter added. "But with five of us however. Then yes." He ended the statement with a smile.

The soldiers exchanged confused looks with each other and none of them saw what was coming next. Two of them were decapitated by a sniper rifle while a third was downed by plasma fire. The squad leader looked around and saw he was the last one standing. Before he could react, he was facing down the barrels of five different weapons. There was only one thing the leader did in this kind of situation.

He dropped his rifle and raised his hands in the air. "I surrender?" He said with uncertainty.

Eric gave him a smile that would've dropped the temperature by several degrees. "Sucks for you." All five of them fired their weapons into the leader's head.

The three Brotherhood soldiers removed their helmets to reveal themselves to Eric. "Guys you have no idea how glad I am to see that you're still alive!"

Colvin was the first to speak up. "Yeah you should be! We've been looking all over hell for you."

Dusk was about to say something, but Kodiak beat her to it. "Eric." He said in sheer disbelief.

When Eric turned to face Kodiak, he saw that his face was pale white like he was about to puke and was holding a set of holotags. "Kodiak? What is it?" He asked worriedly.

Kodiak tossed the holotags over to Eric and his face went paler than Kodiak's when he realized who he was going up against.

Brotherhood of Steel

Lost Hills

"No." Eric whispered to no one in particular. He was too shocked to comprehend the truth. Lost Hills, the main chapter of the entirety of the Brotherhood, had declared war on the Capital Wasteland.

What'd you guys think huh? I bet some of you weren't expecting that. Ok maybe some of you were. Anyway leave a like, review, or both. NCRMC signing off for now.