Reviews
Oddliver: Oh just wait, when Eric gets to that bunker, he'll have a lot of help.
GuestDB: You might want to read this chapter before thinking Marshes is easy prey. And the sequel will be done like this.
CyberJordan: It is true that Marshes doesn't know Eric, but he isn't a force to be reckoned with.
shamedwolf34: I'm glad that you like my idea of bad guys.
boozenpuken333: That is a great team isn't it? Thanks for pointing out that mistake, I got it fixed.
StaticBomb93: Thanks, I like to make it a bit gory. I really appreciate your support.
On to Chapter 8
Chapter 8: Warriors Clash
Jefferson Memorial Sub-basement: June 9, 2279. 7:35 A.M.
Eric had gathered several Brotherhood soldiers for a meeting to discuss a plan that he had to infiltrate Independence. The only people that were there were Gallows, Tristan, Colvin, Glade, Morrill, a fully-healed McGraw (who was transported to the Purifier with the caravan lead by Crow), Paladin Jensen, and a handful of Knights and Paladins. Butch decided to remain with Lucy, Charon went to give Gob the letter that Carol left for Eric to give, Jericho was with Harkness (who was having his face fixed by Pinkerton at Rivet City), and Fawkes and Uncle Leo were helping the Brotherhood soldiers set up defenses around the memorial. Eric just got through debriefing everyone on what the enemy's intentions were and how many men they had as well as the fire power. Some were shocked; others weren't so surprised at the news. After that, he decided to tell them about this plan of his. Their response was that he had totally lost his mind!
Rothchild didn't think he heard Eric correctly. "I'm sorry. WHAT?!" He shouted.
"Eric that's suicidal!" Tristan joined in after shrugging off the shock. "You honestly can't be serious!"
Eric agreed with them, it was probably the craziest plan he ever had, but he had to go through with it. "I am serious."
When he said that, there were several protests around the room from the Knights and Paladins. Some of those protests were "Are you insane?!" or "You've fucking lost it!"
"So let me get this straight." Paladin Jensen said loud enough for everyone to stop talking. "You plan on waltzing right up to Independence, the headquarters of our enemy which has heavily armed guards and is heavily fortified, just so you can warn Casdin about Marshes? You plan on warning the man who is responsible for the death of so many people? Is that what you are telling us?"
Eric pursed his lips then nodded. "Yeah, pretty much."
"Am I missing something here?" Glade asked. "You plan on saving Casdin's ass after all the shit he's caused us?"
Eric shook his head. "I don't plan on saving him. Whether I warn him or not, him and the remaining Outcasts are gonna end up dead."
"So why warn him then?" Rothchild asked.
"So he can be a pain in Marshes' ass. If they're gonna get killed, they might as well give Marshes some hell and die fighting. Plus, if the Outcasts get into it with Marshes' men, they'll focus most of their attention on them, and it'll give us some breathing room."
Eric looked around the room and saw that they understood the logic behind his plan; however they still thought he was crazy.
Rothchild though was still very concerned about Eric heading into the heart of their enemy's HQ. "Eric do you realize how dangerous this is? From what our scouts have told us, there are at least a hundred men stationed at Independence as well as the tanks that they acquired from the Midwest. Even if you make it past the Fort's defenses, there's a chance you may encounter Marshes himself."
Eric shrugged. "I already know how dangerous this is and if I come across Marshes, I'll just take my chances and kill him. Gives me the chance to cut off the head of the snake." He stated as if this wasn't a big deal.
Rothchild's eyes widened. "Eric do you remember what I told you about the Enclave War back West?" He asked.
Eric nodded. "Yeah you told me that you and the NCR allied to eradicate the Enclave in the Core Region. You also said that a lot of Enclave soldiers managed to put up a helluva fight."
"During the war against the Enclave, Marshes was responsible for killing over 40 elite soldiers with his bare hands and that was just during one battle! Then after the war against the NCR broke out, he singlehandedly killed several foot soldiers that tried to storm the Lost Hills Bunker. Before we left for the East, he had a total of almost 600 maybe 700 kills. If someone like Marshes can be that deadly on the battlefield, you won't stand a chance!"
"I've faced just as many Enclave soldiers by myself at Raven Rock and twice that many at Adam's Air Base! So I'm pretty sure I can handle him." Eric argued.
The Head Scribe slammed his fist against the wall which startled most of the soldiers in the room. Rothchild needed to drill into Eric's mind that he was not invincible. "ERIC FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE JUST LISTEN TO ME DAMMIT!" The room had gone so quiet the sound of a pin dropping on the metal floor could have been heard like a cannon going off. Everyone in the room was shocked. Not once in their lives had they ever seen the Head Scribe show any acts of aggression. "Drake Marshes is not your average enemy; he has faced down more threats than you possibly ever will in your life. If you face him in hand-to-hand combat he'll kill you for sure!" Rothchild walked across the room and put his hands on Eric's shoulders. "Take my word for it Eric, Marshes is not a man to be trifled with. If you go against him, you. Will. Lose!"
Eric shrugged himself out of Rothchild's grasp and contemplated his words. The Brotherhood always had confidence in his fighting prowess on the battlefield, but when the Head Scribe was telling him this was a fight that he can't win, he had to take his word for it. Even though it was a confidence killer.
Eric sighed. "Alright, I'll do my best to avoid him when I make it to Independence." He said in a resigned tone.
"What? You still plan on going just to warn Casdin?" 'The boy really has lost it!" Rothchild thought.
"I have to warn him…well I don't have to warn him, but still, I'd like to give him and his men a fighting chance."
"But why?" Rothchild asked.
"It's called being the better man." Eric replied. 'It's what separates the men of honor from the butchers.' He thought.
"What if he doesn't believe you? What if he tries to kill you?" All heads turned to McGraw. He knew all too well that after he, Morrill and their men broke away from the Outcasts; Casdin wouldn't pass up a chance at taking Eric on in a fight. Although it wouldn't do much good since Eric could kill him in a heartbeat.
Eric just gave McGraw a devious smile. "That'll just give me an excuse to snap his neck."
With that he walked out of the room not wanting to argue, but before he was going to leave through the tunnel system, he went to meet with Butch. However, Rothchild wasn't so sure about Eric going to Independence. He had faith in the boy, but he wasn't going to take any chances.
He turned over to the Pride's Scout officer. "Gallows." The Knight Captain looked to the Head Scribe. "When he leaves, follow him and make sure he doesn't get himself into too much trouble!" Rothchild ordered Gallows.
Gallows simply nodded and waited for Eric to make his move.
Purifier Refugee Camp: June 9, 2279. 7:46 A.M.
At the field hospital, it was an absolute madhouse. After all the damage that had been dealt to Lyons Brotherhood, there were only 10 Brotherhood medics left. If it weren't for Butcher's medics, Doc Church, Dr. Preston and his assistants, things would be much worse. Jason, one of Butcher's medics and the same medic who helped Herman Gomez with his wounds, was finishing up with Butch's shoulder. After applying the last stitch to Butch's wound Jason moved on to the next person that needed helped. Butch got off the cot and started putting the shoulder plating back on his security uniform. He looked around at the wounded and felt physically ill. The last time he had seen this many wounded in a field hospital was during the Enclave War, but this was ten times worse. During the Enclave War, there were only wounded and dead Brotherhood soldiers in the tents, but now there were innocent people involved. Women, children, old men, people who didn't deserve any of this. There was a nine year old girl who was missing her left leg. Another girl had gauze wrapped around her face after she had suffered severe burns from a flame thrower. Next to her was a little boy who couldn't have been older than five. The boy had been crying for his mother, who was lying in a body bag outside the tent.
Butch left the tent, unable to stand the sight of all those people in pain. The moment he walked out, he bumped into somebody. "Hey watch it…Oh, sorry Eric."
Eric waved him off. "How's your shoulder doing?"
Butch merely shrugged. "It's been better. Heh, I've had worse days than this." He stated matter-of-factly.
Eric chuckled. "You and me both. Where's Lucy?"
"Oh I told her that she should lie down. She hasn't gotten that much sleep lately." Butch replied. "Mike's keeping an eye on her."
Eric nodded. "Good she needs her rest." He noticed Butch was looking a little distant. "Hey, you alright man?"
Butch looked around before pulling Eric out of earshot of everyone else. "I have something to tell you." Eric raised a curious brow. After a while of trying to figure out what to say he decided to be blunt. "Lucy's pregnant."
Eric's eyes almost popped out of his skull. 'Holy shit. I never thought I'd see the day!' He thought. Eric couldn't help keep the smirk off his face. "You dog you. Congrats man!" He said patting his best friend on the back. When Butch gave him a withering glare, Eric immediately wiped the smile off his face. "Ok, so it's not a good thing?"
"No, no it is. It is, it's just that I don't think it's a good time to raise a child with everything that's going on right now." Eric nodded in understanding. "Also it's because, well I'm not sure… " Butch trailed off.
Eric caught on to what he was going to say. "Ahhh, I see. You're afraid that you might not be a good dad."
Butch nodded. "Yeah. I mean what if the kid hates me?"
Eric gave Butch his 'Are you kidding me?' look. "Dude, what the hell are you talking about?"
"Aw come on Eric. Haven't you heard the old saying like father like son?" Butch asked, using the same argument he used with Lucy earlier.
Eric scoffed at the question. "Oh don't give me that bullshit! You are nothing like your father."
"You don't know that." Butch shot back.
"I know that you're ten times the man your father ever will be. The moment you," Eric pointed a finger at Butch for emphasis. "stepped out of the vault, it might have taken some time, but you… you became a new man. You became a better man. So you can drop that entire BS about you being a lousy father. You're far from it. I remember seeing how you treated Marie."
Butch smiled at the memory. He had gone to the Pitt with Eric and remembered helping him take Marie away from Wernher and the other slaves after they found out that the tests they planned on doing to her were anything but safe. Cure or not, he wasn't going to have that blood on his hands and neither was Eric. During their journey back to the Capital Wasteland Butch had taken care of Marie like she was his own daughter until they found the right people to take her in.
"So you really think that I'll be a good dad?" Butch asked.
"I'd be telling you otherwise if I didn't think so." Eric wanted to keep talking with Butch about him being a dad and how this whole thing between him and Lucy started, but Eric wanted to see how Amata was faring. "Quick subject change, where is Amata?"
Butch pointed a thumb at the medical tent. "She's with her dad. Eric…a couple of medics said that his leg needs to be amputated. She's not taking the news so well." He said solemnly.
Eric sighed and ran a hand over his face. "I'll talk to her." Butch nodded, but before the two went their separate ways they were visited by Knight Sergeant Wilks. They both noticed him holding an enclosed file and a set of keys. "What's up Wilks?" Eric asked.
"Three Dog wanted me to give you this." He said handing him the keys and file. Eric looked at the items before looking back at the Sergeant. "He said the file and those keys maybe the only thing that can stop Lost Hills."
Eric nodded. "Alright I'll look at the file. Thanks Wilks."
"Anytime Eric." The Knight Sergeant saluted Eric since he was a higher ranking Brotherhood soldier. Eric quickly returned the salute before Wilkes walked away.
Eric looked to Butch. "Can you take a look at these and let me know what you find?" He asked.
Butch took the file and keys. "You got it."
"Thanks Butch."
"Oh, and one more thing!" Butch remembered the discussion he had with Harkness earlier.
"Yeah?"
"I was talking with Harkness earlier. He's worried that there won't be enough supplies to last everyone here for more than a week. We need to see if there's another place where we can send some of the refugees."
Eric nodded. "Alright I'll try and think of a few places we could send some people." Butch nodded and went to go look at the documents.
Eric went inside the medical tent and found Amata sitting on a stool next to her father. "Amata."
Amata looked up from her father and stood up to hug Eric. "Hey Eric."
"You ok?" He asked with concern.
Amata quietly sobbed in his chest. "I don't know anymore. We've lost the vault; a lot of the people are dead. Now they're telling me my father's going to lose a leg. Please tell me that it's not true. Hey WAIT! You're a doctor, you know how to do surgery. Maybe you can fix his leg and he won't have to lose it." Amata said gaining some hope in her eyes. Eric looked to the Brotherhood medics who were treating Alphonse. One of them gestured to Alphonse saying that Eric was welcome to take a look, but judging by the look in their eyes he knew he wasn't going to get any different results that would change the outcome of Alphonse's leg.
Eric knelt down next to Alphonse to examine the leg. "How are you Alphonse?" The former overseer who was semiconscious from the drugs that had been administered into his system smiled, which was a rarity for this man.
"I could be better." He whispered.
Eric raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? You and lot of other people."
"I suppose so...Eric I owe you an apology….for everything."
"Apology accepted." Eric said while looking at the kneecap. The two rounds that met their mark had completely shattered it. The artery had been severely torn apart. All-in-all the medics were right, the leg had to be amputated.
Alphonse didn't think he heard Eric right. "R-really? After all the trouble I caused you and your father over the years? After having the guards hunt you down the day your dad left you're still willing to forgive me? Just like that?"
Eric nodded. "Yes Alphonse just like that. My dad always told me that there was no point in holding a grudge. You could either let them go or let them destroy you. The past is the past; you have to move on and see what the future has in store for us next." He said standing up.
Alphonse sighed. "If only I had that kind of attitude back in the vault. Maybe things would've been better there. Maybe I wouldn't have been such…such a monster in my daughter's eyes."
Eric put a hand on Alphonse's shoulder and gave him a reassuring squeeze. "You were just trying to make sure the vault would survive. I understand that. We all make mistakes Alphonse. Hell I've made mistakes I'm not proud of, but we all have to live with them and we have to learn from them."
Alphonse nodded. "I suppose so."
Eric gave him a final pat on the shoulder before turning back to Amata. He led her away from her dad and decided to be up front with her. "Amata I hate to say it, but the medics are right. They're gonna have to amputate your dad's leg at least three inches above his knee." Eric couldn't stand seeing her crestfallen face, but then inspiration struck. He had a solution. "However there is a way he can still walk."
Amata wasn't sure if she should be hopeful or afraid with the look Eric had on his face. "How?"
"During our war with the Super Mutants, the Brotherhood had soldiers that came in with missing limbs whenever a master or overlord got the jump on them. I was able to help the medics, engineers and technicians make bionic limbs. The bionic limbs look like normal human limbs, only…they're metal and they enhance your abilities."
"Enhance how?" Amata asked.
"They make you stronger, faster, and more agile. When we gave them to soldiers who needed them, they rejoined the battlefield and were twice as deadly." Eric answered her.
"I don't see how you're going to get them. They're buried underneath what's left of the Citadel." One of the medics said loud enough for them to hear. That earned him a death glare from Eric. "What? I'm only speaking the truth."
Eric went from glaring to giving him an evil smile. "Hey doc, do me a favor and stitch the lip! You're not helping the situation here."
The doctor just mumbled a few unpleasantries before looking back at a patient's clip board.
"If we can't get them from the Citadel, can't you find one off any of the dead?" Eric asked knowing that there were a lot of dead Brotherhood soldiers laying in body bags outside the tent.
"None of them have bionic legs. Only one had an arm and we gave that one to Artemis."
Eric growled, mumbling some very vulgar words in the process. 'Well that idea is out the window.' Eric thought. 'Come on dammit, think Eric. You're a soldier, not a quitter. Think, think, think!'
"Eric."
Eric was cut off from his thoughts by a Brotherhood Knight laying on one of the cots. His left eye was gone, part of his right hand had been blown apart and there were several bullet holes in his chest.
"What is Knight?" Eric asked.
"Take mine. I'm not going to need it anymore."
Eric was shocked. "Are you sure?"
The Knight just nodded then passed out.
One of the medics went to check his pulse. The Knight wasn't asleep, he was dead. The medic sighed. "Tom." He said getting the other medic's attention. "We're going to need his leg."
"Got it." Tom said.
"We'll get your father prepped and ready." They informed Amata.
She thanked the medics before turning to Eric who had a big smile on his face. "Problem solved." He said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to find Butch." He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and then left the tent only to run into Butch, knocking them both on the ground…with Butch on top of him.
Eric smirked. 'A golden opportunity.' "I hope you plan on buying me dinner first." Eric teased
"I'd rather run into a nest of Deathclaws and radscorpions." Butch growled. He quickly got up and gave Eric a hand which he gratefully took.
"So what's the rush Butch?" Eric asked.
"You are not gonna believe what I just found."
Rebirth Army Base: June 9, 2279. 8:03 A.M.
Around the base perimeter was a minefield that was spread out within a one mile radius. Today that minefield was going to be put to the test. A group of 300 raiders were about to storm the compound from the South and ransack it for all its goods. They've been scouting the place for a week and the only threats they saw were the patrolling robots. To them this was a piece of cake…oh how wrong they were.
"Our boys are in place, ready when you are boss." One raider informed the leader. The leader was known as Spike, do to his love for spiked knuckles and how they inflicted pain and suffering on his victims.
"Ya know, I kinda wish dos pre-war pussies were still around so I could thank'em for their shit." Spike laughed maniacally. "Ight boys, let's take those fuckin' bots down! GO!"
The raiders all charged at the base, not knowing of the motion sensors that alerted the robots inside the compound.
"Hostiles have breached the perimeter. Engage!" One Sentry Bot ordered the others. Every Sentry Bot and Mister Gutsy moved to the South fence and opened up on the attacking invaders. Several of the raiders were torn apart by the Sentries minigun fire, while some were reduced to puddles of goo by the Gutsies plasma fire. These attacks were demoralizing the raiders fast. Some of the raiders tried to retreat, but Spike wasn't going to have cowards in his gang.
"OH HELL NO! YOU LITTLE PUSSIES BETTA TURN YUR FUCKIN' ASSES AROUND AND KEEP SHOOTING! WE AIN'T LEAVING TIL DIS PLACE IS OURS" Spike ordered his guys.
One Mister Gutsy moved to a control panel on the fence and yelled. "WELCOME TO HELL YOU COMMUNIST SONSABITCHES!" The Gutsy pressed a red button that detonated several of the mines in the field, blowing apart the remaining raiders.
All except for Spike who had severe 3rd degree burns all over his body. His left foot had been blown off, but he was still standing on the bone. He was screaming in agony while holding a frag grenade in his hand ready to throw it. "YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME OUT YOU TIN CAN BASTARDS!" He drew his arm back about to throw the grenade, ignoring the pain that surged throughout his body.
"Eliminate!" Three Sentry Bots said at the same time, firing their miniguns at the lone raider tearing him shreds. Spike fell back and the grenade rolled out of his hand, exploding a few seconds later. "Threat neutralized."
The attack on the compound had failed and the secrets that it guarded remained safe.
"Have a nice day." One Sentry said.
Purifier Refugee Camp: June 9, 2279. 8:05 A.M.
"What exactly am I looking at?" Eric asked as he read a paper that had information on a US Army base signed by members of the Pre-war Joint Chiefs of Staff. Then there was a stack of papers that was labeled 'Entry List', but all it had was just names and numbers which didn't make sense to Eric. Then there was a map of New York that had a small dot marked atleast 100 miles northwest of New York City. The word written above the dot was Rebirth. When Eric saw that, he looked back at the paper that had been signed and read it over.
OPERATIONAL APPROVAL ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF REBIRTH
By order of the President of the United States as well as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Secretary of Defense, General Constantine Chase has been granted approval of commanding all military forces assigned to be a part of Operation Resurrection. General Chase has drawn up a list of demands for a base and each of his demands will be met without question. As per General Chase's request, the construction of a massive and heavily fortified underground compound will commence immediately. Following the construction, 20,000 men have been assigned to take charge of the facility under the command of General Chase himself. Operation Resurrection's main priority is one thing and one thing only, to ensure the survival and preservation of the United States Armed Forces in the event of nuclear war. The deadline of the base construction is to be complete by October 20, 2077. All military personnel assigned to the base must be transported there immediately after the construction is complete. At this time a list will be drawn up for suitable personnel from the United States, Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and National Guard to ensure the survival of our Country's fine Armed Forces so that they can begin the rebuilding of the United States of America.
Beneath that were the signatures of everyone who approved of the operation along with the Presidential Seal of Approval.
President Richard Williams
Secretary of Defense Brad Mason
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Tom O'Hagan
Chief of Staff of the Army General James Ticonderoga
Commandant of the Marine Corps General Jonathan Bradford
Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Wilson Kerry
Chief of Staff of the Air Force General Tyler Gibson
Chief of the National Guard Bureau General Mark Stanley
Eric now understood what this had meant. There was a US Army base to the north of Washington D.C. The stack of papers with the names and numbers, they were the soldiers chosen and those were their ID numbers. Still, there were some things he wasn't so sure about. "Butch what exactly are you implying?"
"You read that whole thing right? It states right here…" Butch pointed to a specific spot on the paper. "The survival and preservation of the United States Armed Forces, it means that there are soldiers that survived the war."
"Butch that doesn't mean anything, for all we know the soldiers could've died out or aren't even there anymore. Or they've probably abandoned their original mission and became raiders." Eric said with logic, but he saw how Butch was still smiling. "You know something I don't." He stated knowingly.
"Even better." Butch held out a piece of paper. "I have General Chase's list of demands right here." He gave the paper to Eric. "Read the 6th item down on the list."
Eric skimmed through the list.
#1 MRE Food Supply
#2 G.E.C.K.s
#3 Ammunition
#4 Repair Tools
#5 Surgical Supplies
#6 Cryo-pods
Eric had to re-read the 6th one to make sure he wasn't seeing things. "Cryo-pods?" He looked up from the piece of paper. "If Chase had cryo-pods installed at this base then that means…"
"The soldiers probably haven't been thawed out yet." Butch finished for Eric.
Eric sighed. "What exactly are you proposing we do?" He asked Butch seriously.
"We take a team, and we head north to this base and we see if we can get their help."
"Butch, it's not that simple, ok? There are a lot of factors that come into play."
"Such as?"
"Well the most obvious, we can take a step outside the energy field without getting our heads blown off by snipers or getting blown apart by an artillery barrage. Even if we make it outside, the distance between here and the northern border of the Capital Wasteland is at least 10 maybe 15 miles. That's a lot of fucking ground we have to cover and it's a lot more difficult, because we are deep behind enemy lines. Even if we survive the journey to the northern border, we don't know what's ahead of us from there on. The farthest I've ever traveled was the Pitt and Point Lookout, never going back there by the way."
"What about Mothership Zeta?" Butch asked.
"That does not count, speaking of which, that's the perfect place to take the refugees."
"Why there?" Butch asked curiously.
"There's enough room, to keep a hundred people at least, two hundred at most safe. Plus there is enough food to keep that many people fed for a month, maybe two."
Butch nodded however there was a major flaw in Eric's plan. "There's just one problem. If it'll be difficult to move a small expedition through the Capital Wasteland, won't it be suicide to move almost 200 people?"
"Fuck." Dammit did Eric hate when Butch was right. "We'll figure this out when I come back." Eric said as he was ready to leave the tent. "Show Rothchild what you've found!"
"Where the hell are you going?" Butch asked.
"I'm going to go have a nice chat with Casdin."
'Oh boy.' Butch knew what that meant. It was Eric's polite way of saying 'I'm going to give someone a nice beating.' "Well, when you see Casdin, give him my warmest regards." Butch said sarcastically.
"Oh I intend to." Eric called back.
Fort Independence: June 9, 2279. 10:05 A.M.
Protector Casdin was standing on the rooftop looking out in the horizon. He felt serene, the wasteland was quit, and not a single gunshot has been heard in hours. He felt victorious. These past couple days had been the greatest of his life. He killed Owyn Lyons, he had managed to wipe out all Brotherhood bases in the region and take control of the Citadel. The Capital Wasteland was now under his control, but he wasn't going to let his guard down, not while the Lone Wanderer was still alive. That was why he had two guards with him at all times. As tough as he was, Casdin was right to fear him, because he knew Eric could kill him in a one-on-one fight.
"Enjoying the view?" Casdin's eyes widened behind his visor and the three men whipped around to see Eric with his Shocksword in hand. The two guards tried to unsling their laser rifles as fast as they could, but Eric was faster as he decapitated one and slit the throat of the other. Both men's lifeless bodies fell to the ground. Casdin went for his alien blaster, but Eric already had his blade against the Protector's throat. "Now, now, now there's no need for that. Why don't you take off your helmet and we can talk like two civilized gentlemen."
Casdin pulled off his helmet and snarled at Eric like a rabid beast. "How the hell did you make it inside you little shit?"
"Oh you know I just knocked on the front door and they let me in. How the fuck do you think?" Eric snapped. "You know that pile of rubble from where the building partially collapsed."
"Yeah?" Casdin said drawing out the word.
"All I had to do was climb on top of the rubble and just jump a couple feet. Walla, here I am."
Casdin growled. "Just because you made it up here undetected, doesn't mean you're getting out of here alive."
Eric snorted. "I literally walked past all of your sentries like I owned the place and not one of them noticed me. Hell a raider that's both blind and deaf would detect me before those assholes would."
"You come here to mock me or kill me?"
Eric had never been so tempted in his whole life. "As much as I want to after all the people you've killed. Believe me, I would enjoy making you suffer, but that's not why I'm here. I'm here to warn you."
Casdin raised an eyebrow. "Warn me about what?"
"The man that's helping you isn't who he says he is. The man that's helping you is General Drake Marshes."
At first Casdin was silent, and then he started chuckling. "You think that's a problem? I find that to be a solution. Having the most feared Brotherhood warrior fighting on your side is the best thing that ever happened to me and my men."
"You won't be saying that when Marshes guns you and your men down." Eric warned.
Casdin stopped laughing and frowned. "What in God's name are you talking about?"
"Once Marshes is finished with Lyons Brotherhood, he's going to wipe you and every other Outcast out so he can form his own empire."
Casdin scoffed. "Where the hell are you getting this bullshit information?"
"Well you know," Eric reached behind him and pulled out a set of holotags which he tossed to Casdin. "Marshes' second-in-command just couldn't shut his mouth. You wouldn't believe how much information that fool was giving us."
The Protector couldn't believe what he was hearing. The holotags spoke for themselves, but he didn't believe Eric. "You're lying."
"When have I ever lied to you or anyone else about anything? Believe me the bastard was telling the truth. It was either he told us what he wanted or he lost his nuts to a ripper."
"You're a sick bastard."
Eric gave Casdin a kick to the chest that knocked him to the ground. Casdin went for his alien blaster, but Eric quickly knocked it out of his hand and placed a foot on his face. "That's a textbook example of the pot calling the kettle black. You and Marshes have murdered thousands of innocent people. CHILDREN FOR CHRIST'S SAKE!"
Casdin snorted. "Just think of it like this, those people," Casdin spat at that word like it was contagious. "were living like wild animals, my men and I were just doing the humane thing and that was putting those animals down."
Eric heard enough as he stomped his foot down on Casdin's face knocking a few teeth loose. "Keep talking like that and I'll put you down like the dog that you are."
"There's no need for that!" A voice called out behind him.
With his sword in his right hand, Eric drew his 9mm with his left and whipped around so the barrel was pointing at the unknown foe. He noticed the man looked to be in his late 50's, bald, and had a thick grey beard. "Mind your business old timer."
Marshes just smiled. "Oh, but I am. You see, you are my business Lone Wanderer."
Eric's eyes widened. "General Marshes." He said in realization.
"Yes. It's good to finally meet you in person. I've heard so many great things about you and how you're a wasteland legend." General Marshes only knew what people had told him about Eric. Even though he didn't know much about the boy personally, he was impressed at all of Eric's past accomplishments.
Before Eric could reply he felt the barrel of Casdin's alien blaster being pushed against his skull. "Oh how I have waited so long for this moment." Casdin said gleefully.
He didn't notice Marshes drawing his laser pistol. "It's a shame you will not live long enough to enjoy it Protector." Casdin frowned and turned just in time to see Marshes raise the energy sidearm and fire. The beam of fire hit Casdin square in the face, burning a hole all the way through his skull. "I believe our business here is concluded." Marshes then pulled out a small handheld radio. "The Outcasts are no longer needed. Kill them, all of them!"
Seconds' later gunfire could be heard inside the Fort and out in the distance. Lost Hills had finally won. "Now that that simple-minded fool is out of the way, I have a proposition for you."
"What kind of proposition?" Eric asked.
"Join us." Marshes stated simply.
Eric began laughing. "Y-you want m-me to join you. HAH. Either you really don't know who I am, or you've become old and senile and need to retire. Let's get something straight General, there is no way in hell I'd ever join you or your army of murdering fuckheads."
"I'm just following the rules of the wasteland. The strong shall survive while the weak perish."
"And what will Lost Hills think about you going against them?"
Marshes growled. "I don't give a damn about Lost Hills. Haven't you noticed it? There's only one Brotherhood chapter that remains loyal to Lost Hills and that's the Mojave chapter. The Texas and Midwestern Brotherhood have all turned their backs on Lost Hills. The High Elder has tried to bring them all back to help fight the war against the NCR, but they refused, all because they did not want to lose their grips on the regions that they have control of. That and because they've all gone soft. Helping all the local tribes and letting mutations into their ranks."
Eric noticed how much hatred was filled in that last sentence. "Sounds like you hate that."
"More than you can ever imagine. Ghouls and mutants, they don't deserve to be soldiers, they deserve to be exterminated."
"Explain to me why the Midwestern Brotherhood helped you, because that's something that your second didn't mention."
"Hmm, I was wondering what happened to Edgars. To answer your question I had to make up a few lies about how Lyons Brotherhood was slaughtering entire cities of innocent people."
"Something you're doing right now." Eric stated matter-of-factly.
"I think the more polite term is purging, but we are getting off track. Are you going to accept my offer or not?" Marshes asked.
"As tempting as it is." Eric said sarcastically. "I'm going to have to tell you to take that offer and shove it up your ass. I'm not about to turn my back on these people and start killing them like some raider."
"You are indeed a noble man. And I respect that, but this is my wasteland now. So if you're not with me, you are against me."
Eric holstered his sidearm and tightened his grip on the shocksword. "You're damn right I'm against you. Unless you are willing to accept my proposition?" Marshes raised an eyebrow. "Pack up your shit, gather your army, and go back to Lost Hills. If you don't I'm sending you all back in body bags."
"I would love to see you try." Marshes challenged.
Eric charged at Marshes ready to swing at him with his sword but was not ready for what was about to happen next. With unbelievable speed, Marshes dodged the sword and grabbed Eric's wrist, twisting it to relinquish his hold on the blade. Marshes followed that up by ramming his knee into Eric's gut repeatedly then grabbed him by the throat and hoisted him up in the air. "Is that really the best the great Lone Wanderer has?" The General sneered. Eric was then tossed a good six feet away from his opponent gasping for air.
A few of Marshes men came to the rooftop to see what was going on and they were enjoying the show.
As he turned around he saw the General running at him with great speed. Before Eric could brace himself, Marshes delivered a jump kick to his face. Eric was starting to see stars; he'd been kicked in the face before, but a power armored foot made him feel like someone hit him with a sledgehammer. This wasn't going so well for him. Marshes was in T-51b power armor while Eric was wearing a Special Forces BDU and a black beret that were used by the pre-war army. Marshes grabbed Eric by the collar of his jacket and was about to go another round with him, when Eric slammed his left elbow in his nose.
Marshes quickly recovered and grabbed ahold of Eric's arm and twisted until his shoulder was dislocated. Eric let out a cry of pain as he felt his shoulder snap. He looked around for his sword and saw it was only a few feet away. Clenching his teeth as his body was still aching, he made his way to the sword grabbed the handle with his good hand and activated its electrical current. Eric stood up and swung the sword around hoping to at least electrocute Marshes. As the sword came closer to the General he reached up and grabbed the blade with his hand. Eric was shocked beyond belief. The sword didn't cut his hand and it didn't shock the man. Marshes then broke the sword clean off the handle and jammed it into Eric's stomach until it went through his back.
Eric was screaming in agony. Rothchild was right, there was no way in hell he could beat him.
Marshes grabbed Eric by the throat and hoisted him up in the air again. "Such a shame. I expected better from you Lone Wanderer. Any last w-" Marshes was cut off when plasma bolts slammed into his men. Several more plasma rounds were fired at the General forcing him to drop Eric and roll to the left to dodge the attacks. He kept rolling until he almost fell off the roof, his hands holding onto the edge of the building.
The attacker ran to Eric and deactivated his stealth armor. "Come on Eric, I got you." Gallows said as he helped Eric to his feet and led him out of there before more soldiers arrived.
Marshes pulled himself back onto the rooftop. He looked around to see if Eric or his friend was still there. Sadly for him they were already long gone. One soldier came through the rooftop entrance. "General are you alright?" The soldier asked with concern.
"I'm fine. The Lone Wanderer escaped. He had some help too." Marshes informed the man.
"Do you want us to go after him?"
"No, with the wounds that he has, he won't survive long." Marshes pulled out his radio and spoke so that all of his men would hear. "On this day my fellow brothers and sisters, we have achieved victory. Lyons Brotherhood is no more, Casdin and his Outcasts are no more. We will rule this wasteland with an iron fist!" "It is time for our Empire to rise!"
Well you guys know the drill. Like, follow, review or all of the above! NCRMC signing off for now.