How's it going everybody? I am back with a quicker update this time. I feel like I've been keeping you guys in suspense long enough, so here it is. In the chapter, Eric and the others make it to Rebirth Army Base. I loved the reviews the guys have been giving me and I would like to say thanks for your support.
Author's note: I'd like to thank alanranks7 for being a big help for part of this chapter. Thanks bud.
Reviews:
InflatedChimp: I love your questions, and this chapter has your answers.
DarkRank550: I'm sorry to keep you waiting bud. Here's a quicker update.
alanranks7: Don't worry my friend, in good time he will.
boozenpuken333: Thanks buddy and to answer your question, yes all the Big Town residents were killed by Marshes men.
Guest: I'm glad that you liked the conspiracy that I added.
StaticBomb93: Hahaha thanks friend. Here's the next update.
Guest #2: Have no fear my friend, the next chapter is right here.
GuestDB: Yep, you were right about the assassination attempt.
Chapter 13: A Traitor and America's Rebirth
General Chase's Bunker: June 11, 2279. 12:41 A.M.
A stunned silence followed Eric's declaration. They were all staring at the remains of a military legend. Eric himself was probably shocked the most. General Constantine Chase was the man who led American Forces to a total victory against the Chinese in Anchorage and the creator of the Rebirth Army Base. General Chase was a man that Eric had done so much research about. He believed that the General was one of America's greatest strategic commanders in the history of the U.S. Armyr5. Eric would sometimes spend his free time reading newspaper articles and military reports about the accomplishments of General Chase. When Eric went into the Anchorage Simulator and met General Chase, he felt like he had been bestowed the greatest honor of his life. Now here he was, staring at the skeletal remains that had been slumped over his desk for over 200 years now. More than a dozen bullet holes had littered the back of Chase's overcoat. Eric looked back at the group of skeletons that had silenced handguns and were clothed in black combat armor.
"Chinese assassins', they had to have been." Eric thought to himself.
While Eric was stuck in his thoughts, Butch decided to examine General Chase a bit closer. The bullet holes in the back of the overcoat ranged in sizes. From .45 caliber to 5.56 rounds. He checked each one of the coat pockets until he found a holodisk. Butch looked the disc over to make sure it hadn't taken any damage before putting it in his Pip-Boy and going to his notes. What came up on the screen was very familiar loading bar. Plus a real pain in the ass.
"Fuck." Butch growled.
Eric looked over to Butch and saw him staring at the screen in annoyance. "What'd you find Butch?"
"I found a holodisk in his coat. Unfortunately the data is encrypted." Butch replied punching in a few sequences.
"Can you decrypt it?" Eric asked.
"Good news is I've started the process." Butch said holding up his Pip-Boy. "Bad news is its going to take two maybe three hours before we can see what's hiding in this bad boy."
Eric growled in frustration as Amata gently moved him aside. "Excuse me." She said getting on her knees to reach for something under the desk.
"What are you doing?" Eric asked.
"There's a holotape underneath the desk." She said. Amata grabbed the tape and stood up, handing it over to Eric. "Here you go." She said before giving him a smack on his butt. This action caused Eric to tense up with wide eyes and blush a good shade of red. Amata giggled at how easy it still was to get Eric all flustered.
Eric's mind was wondering. 'What the fuck was that about?'
Eric was brought out of his stupor at the sound of Butch and Jericho sniggering at his discomfort. Neither one of them had ever seen the man blush beet red.
Butch had buried his face on the side of Jericho's shoulder to keep himself from bursting out laughing like a maniac.
Eric coughed loudly to get Butch and Jericho's attention. "You two done yet?" He asked.
Butch and Jericho continued to chuckle for a few more seconds before composing themselves. "Yeah, we're done." Butch said with a cough, trying to hide a rouge chuckle.
Eric shook his head and inserted the holotape into his Pip-Boy. "I swear you guys are like children." He pushed play and got nothing but static for a few seconds.
"GAH FUCK!" Everyone practically jumped out of their skins at the voice coming from the recording. Amata was holding a hand to her chest in an effort to calm down her racing heart. The recording was silent for a few more seconds before a violent fit of coughs could be heard. "(Cough)…Ugh I can't believe it! That lying, low life, piece of shit motherfucker!" That gruff, deep voice immediately told Eric who it was. It was General Chase talking. "I should've known better. Fuck my life! (Cough) (Cough) (Gasp) I should've known he would try something like this. (Groans) Oh God. I can't believe it. That bastard really got the better of me! That ignorant fuckhead sent his boys after me. They thought they could kill me! (Cough) But I took them with me. I just wish I could've taken that fuckin' traitor with me.
Everyone was listening to what General Chase was saying. Eric and Captain Maverick were more focused than the others. "(Cough) (Gasp) To whoever finds this tape, this is General Constantine Chase of the United States Army. I was the commanding officer of all United States Military personnel in Anchorage, Alaska during our war against the Chinese. After that I was put in charge of a U.S. Military base to the north of Washingtonville. Inside the base are 30,000 troops that will be put in cryogenic stasis for the next 25 years. (Hack) (Cough) If you found this, then you'll know that I was betrayed. That fucker sent a group of mercs to try and kill me. I took them all out, but they got me. Dammit did they get me! (Cough) (Cough) Oh shit, I'm done for. I can feel my lungs filling up with blood. I'm asking anyone who is listening to this tape to please stop that traitorous motherfucker! He's at Rebirth right now! He's planning on using my men to start a dictatorship. You must stop him!"
Another fit of violent coughs followed Chase's statement. "If you go to Rebirth, you have to stay on the road to the main entrance. Everywhere else around the base is surrounded with mines. There will be Sentry bots and Gutsies patrolling the base. If you are US Military and you approach the entrance two Sentries will approach you. If you are a member of the armed forces they will not let you in without authorization. The override access code is 'Life and Liberty.' (Gasp)" General Chase was nearing the end as he started to desperately gasp for air. "You must stop him! (Gasp) You can't (Gasp) let him (Gasp) do this to (Gasp) my men. (Gasp) Save them! (GAAAASP)" There was a loud thud then the tape ended. Everyone in the room had just listened to the last words of General Constantine Chase.
At the end of the tape, Eric and Captain Maverick couldn't believe it. They both thought the skeletons were those of Chinese assassins. Instead, they were those of mercenaries hired by someone that Chase knew. Someone that was at Rebirth right now! Whoever it was, Eric had to stop him.
He turned to Captain Maverick who was still staring at Chase's skeleton. "Now will you help us Captain?" He asked.
Captain Maverick had been staring at General Chase while listening to his last words. Alan had served on the front lines of Anchorage in 2070 as a Sergeant where he took two .308 rounds. While lying in a field hospital waiting for a ride back to New York, General Chase had approached him and put a hand on his shoulder. He would never forget the words Chase had told him. 'You've done your country a great service son. I am proud to call you an American, and honored to call you an American soldier. You get some rest. You earned it Sergeant.' Chase had gotten up and moved on to the next soldier. Though Chase did that with all soldiers who were being sent home, he always meant what he told them. General Chase was a man who would always show the men and women under his command the respect they deserved.
Captain Maverick looked at Eric with tears in his eyes. "Yes. I'll have one of my men ready to go. I've got an M35 that still works, but runs like a piece of shit. I honestly don't know how far it'll get you."
"Thank you Captain."
Alan nodded. "Let's get you guys ready." He said turning to leave.
"Wait!" Butch said getting everyone's attention. "What about General Chase?" He asked pointing at the skeleton.
"Don't worry Butch." Captain Maverick told the younger man. "My men and I will take good care of him."
Butch nodded and left with the Captain up the ladder. Harkness and Jericho soon followed. As Amata climbed the ladder, Eric looked back at Chase one last time. He made a promise that he would avenge General Chase and kill the man who betrayed him.
Fort Independence: June 11, 2279. 12:57 A.M.
General Marshes had finished reading his latest reports. He slammed the papers down on the desk with a thud. He was beyond pissed. Not because the Lone Wanderer escaped, but because he was down to less than 3,500 men. He was also feeling something he had never felt in his life. Worry. He was worried that if the Lone Wanderer made it to the Midwestern Brotherhood, his regime of the Capital Wasteland would be over. Yesterday he was confident that he had enough men and firepower to take on a response force from the Midwestern Army. Now he was outnumbered and outgunned. 1,500 of his men were dead and 20 of his 70 tanks were destroyed.
He had given Paladin Commander Mullen the order to move as many forces to guard the Western Border, while still maintaining enough security forces across the region. If the Midwest sends troops to fight his army, they won't survive. However, he wasn't going to run like all those other cowards the Brotherhood called Generals.
He heard a knock at his door. "Come in!" Marshes ordered. The door opened and in came his second-in-command. "Mullen."
Paladin Commander Mullen saluted Marshes. "General."
"What's the status of our security on the Western Border?" Drake asked his subordinate.
"1,500 soldiers are patrolling the border and 80 of our 100 howitzers are set up and ready to fire. Plus I have scouts patrolling five miles outside of the Capital Wasteland. If the Midwest sends troops to attack, we'll be ready." Mullen replied.
"For their ground troops." General Marshes said. "How are we supposed to fight them if they send their Vertibirds to attack? We only have a handful of Tesla-Cannons." He stated.
Commander Mullen smiled though it was a nervous one which Marshes failed to notice. "Actually General, we raided the Brotherhood armory at Adams Air Force and found several more Tesla-Cannons. We have 132 men armed on the border. If the Midwest comes in, we'll take out their tanks, Humvees, Vertibirds, and then our artillery handles their ground troops." Mullen sat down in a chair. "We might actually have a chance."
"Might? There's no way that we can lose now." General Marshes' hopes had risen and his fears had dwindled. They may not have the manpower, but they had the firepower. There was no way in hell that they could be stopped now.
He was so caught up with joy he never noticed Mullen leave the room, or the Paladin Commander's sickly green face.
Washingtonville Police Station Armory: June 11, 2279. 6:15 A.M.
After getting a few extra hours of sleep, Eric and his group had eaten breakfast and were at the police station armory gathering ammo for their weapons. Eric had ten 30 round magazines for his M16, six 15 round magazines for his Beretta and three frag grenades. Butch, Harkness, Jason, Sydney, Jericho, Charon, and Amata all grabbed the same number of magazines for their weapons and three grenades. Amata didn't take any grenades and said she'll leave the explosives to the rest of the group. Fawkes had grabbed a dozen electron charge packs for his gatling laser. Uncle Leo stuck with Fawkes' super sledge and Dogmeat was patiently waiting by the door.
"Is everyone ready to go?" Eric asked his companions. He got a yes from everybody in response. Eric slapped a magazine in his M16. "Alright let's go." He slung his M16 over his shoulder and walked out of the room with Dogmeat and the others in tow.
As soon as they left the building they were met with Captain Maverick standing by a running M35 army truck and another smoothskin soldier.
"Eric." Alan walked forward and introduced him to the other soldier. "This is Staff Sergeant Blake Miller. He volunteered to get you inside Rebirth."
Sergeant Miller stepped forward and offered a hand to the younger man. "Eric."
Eric smiled and shook the Sergeant's hand. "Thank you for helping us Sergeant."
"When Captain Maverick explained the situation, I was more than glad to help." He looked to the rest of Eric's group. "Ready to go?" Everyone nodded. "Alright hop on the truck." Sergeant Miller turned and got in the driver's seat and Eric got in the passenger's seat. Everyone else got in the back of the truck.
Captain Maverick approached the passenger's side of the truck to speak to Eric. "Once Sergeant Miller gets you to Rebirth, he's going to have to turn around and come back here. I'm sorry I couldn't offer you more help." He said acting as if he hadn't done much for his guests.
Eric gave Captain Maverick his trademark 'Are you kidding me' look. "Captain Maverick, you've been more than a gracious host and I can't even begin to thank you for your help and hospitality." Eric extended a hand. "Thank you. It's good to know that there are others willing to help."
Alan smiled and shook Eric's hand. "Good luck Eric."
Eric nodded and withdrew his hand before looking to Sergeant Miller. "Let's roll!"
Miller put the truck in drive and started driving off towards Rebirth. Captain Maverick waved the group off until they were out of sight.
"Captain." A voice said from behind him.
Alan turned around to see Corporal Rodriguez and three other soldiers standing there. "Let's go boys. We have a hero to bury."
Captain Maverick and his men left to go retrieve General Chase's remains so they could give him the proper burial he deserves.
The Potomac, outside the Citadel: June 1, 2279. 7:34 A.M.
Paladin Commander Tyler Mullen continued to splash the cold, slightly irradiated water across his face. His breathing was rapid and is heart was racing. Mullen felt like he had just injected a year supply of Psycho into his system. He left Fort Independence with many things going through his mind, mainly the fact that General Marshes and his men were living on borrowed time. He tried to sleep, hoping it would calm his nerves, but to no avail.
'What the fuck was I thinking?!' He mentally scolded himself.
Tyler knew that no matter how much firepower they had, no matter how prepared they were, they were fucked. If the Lone Wanderer managed to recruit the Midwestern Brotherhood, General Monroe would send his army to push Lost Hills out. A bunch of Tesla-Cannons weren't going to make a goddamn difference. Sure, Marshes and his army would put up a long and hard fight against the Midwestern Brotherhood, but eventually they would break through their defensive lines. Once that happens, they'd be finished.
Mullen didn't know what he was thinking when he delivered the information about the extra Tesla-Cannons they acquired. He wished that he had just kept that information to himself. After passing off the report he hoped, no prayed, that General Marshes would still understand how real the threat was, come to his senses and realize that even with that much more firepower they'd still lose. Instead, Marshes, being the greatest and most feared Brotherhood General in history, continues to live a pipe dream. He has too much pride; he'd never pack up and leave.
Mullen was contemplating whether or not he should stay and fight, or leave Marshes and his men to fend for themselves. He thought long and hard for the next couple of minutes.
He finally reached a decision.
Rebirth Army Base: June 11, 2279. 8:08 A.M.
All the trees around the base within a mile radius had been cut down, which left the minefield. The truck had come to a complete stop at the treeline.
"There it is Eric. Rebirth Army Base." Sergeant Miller said, admiring the view.
Everyone got out of the truck and got a good look at the base. Eric and Butch both pulled out a set of binoculars. They saw everything from the guard towers, to the air traffic control tower, to the American Flag waving in the air.
Butch whistled in admiration. "Jesus. Talk about topnotch defenses. 5mm automated turrets, dozens of Sentries, Gutsies, and Protectrons." Butch removed the binoculars from his view and looked to Eric. "Hell of a way to keep the world out."
Eric put his binoculars back in his combat pack. "Yep, but today's the day the world goes in." He looked at the field around the base and noticed that the landscape to the southeast was burned and that there were several mutilated raider bodies from the attempted assault. "Damn." He looked to Sergeant Miller. "Are you ready for this Sergeant?" He asked wanting to make sure he was up for this.
Sergeant Miller slowly nodded. He was confident, but scared shitless at the same time. He let out a deep sigh. "I'm ready." He told Eric.
"If you want to back out now I understand." Eric told him. Even though Miller was a key asset at getting inside the base, he wasn't going to force him to do it. "We'll find some other way in the base."
Miller turned to Eric and spoke in a firm tone. "Not an option. I'll get you inside even if it kills me." Eric nodded. "Stay here and wait for my signal."
"What's the signal?" Butch asked.
"Me not dying is a good start." Miller chuckled trying to lighten the mood. He then pulled out a flare. "I'll light up the flare to let you guys know when to move in."
Eric nodded. "Good luck Sergeant." Sergeant Miller nodded and began walking down the long road to the base.
Eric grabbed a hold of his cross necklace and began to silently pray that nothing would happen to Miller. Butch, though he wasn't much of a praying man, he closed his eyes and said a quick prayer before grabbing his binoculars and keeping his eyes on the soldier. Everyone, even Jericho was holding their breaths hoping that Sergeant Miller would make it to the gate in one piece.
Sergeant Miller himself was close to having a heart attack. Each step he took felt like it would be his last, but nonetheless, he continued his trek towards Rebirth.
"So far so good." He muttered to himself.
When he was 50 yards away he triggered one of the motion sensors that alerted the bots inside compound. All automated turrets on the southern guard towers were aiming at the approaching Guardsman. Four Sentry Bots moved to the entrance and had their gatling lasers and missile launchers trained on Miller. The sight of being targeted by the base defenses caused the Sergeant to stop in his tracks. He was so scared that he felt like his heart was going to explode out of his chest. Sergeant Miller looked back at Eric and the others and wondered if he should just turn around now while he still had a chance.
Eric was staring through his binoculars and noticed the look of fear on Sergeant Miller's face. Butch was staring through his and saw the security bots arrive at the base gate. "Shit, they spotted him." Butch said.
"They haven't shot him yet, so we still have a chance." Eric said trying to stay positive while still fearing for Miller's life.
Sergeant Miller didn't know what to do. Then he suddenly remembered what Captain Maverick told him. 'Since you are volunteering for this mission I want you to know why it is important. There are still soldiers at Rebirth that have been in cryogenic sleep for the past 200 years. You need to get the Lone Wanderer there and inside that base. You are one of the very few who are able to do so. Those soldiers may be the only hope that the Lone Wanderer has at liberating the Capital Wasteland from a tyrannical madman. Eric told me that every day he doesn't come back with help more people will die. You get him inside Rebirth, and you'll be a major help in saving innocent lives.'
Sergeant Miller looked back at the base entrance, which was only 45 yards away. He had a look of determination on his face. No! He knew how much was at stake. There was no way in hell he would turn back. Even if he dies today, he was going to die trying to get inside that base. Shrugging off the fear of death, he straightened his posture and continued marching closer to the base.
The only reason why the bots hadn't shot the Sergeant was because he wasn't attacking them. They were programed not to engage the enemy unless they came under fire from others. That's why they wiped out the small army of raiders that tried to attack yesterday.
As soon as Miller was 30 yards away, one automated turret activated its scanner and started scanning Miller's face. After a few seconds of scanning the Sergeant the information was transferred to one of the Sentry Bots at the main gate.
Finally, Miller had made it to the gate. He let out a loud sigh of relief, but his nerves were still fraying every second he stood under the heavy scrutiny of the base robots. One Sentry Bot approached him.
"Staff Sergeant Blake Francis Miller, New York Army National Guard, 42nd Infantry Division, 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry Regiment, Troop C. You do not have the necessary clearance to enter the compound Sergeant. You have five minutes to vacate the area or you will be considered hostile." The Sentry bot said to the stunned Sergeant.
Miller cleared his throat. "Life and Liberty." He said giving override access code to the Sentry.
The Sentry remained still for a few seconds before saying. "Access granted. Welcome to Rebirth Sergeant. Orders?"
Miller looked to the Sentry Bot that was talking to him. "Remain in standby mode and do not engage unless necessary. I'm granting full access to anyone that enters the base until the post commander says otherwise." He ordered.
Again the Sentry remained still for a few seconds before saying. "Understood. Have a nice day." All the robots on the base went back to their usual guard positions and continued with their patrols.
Sergeant Miller saw a broken lock lying on the ground, so he quickly opened the gate to the base. As soon as the gate opened up he grabbed his flare, lit it, then threw it to the ground.
The group all saw the red flare. Eric smiled. "Son of a bitch he made it! YES! HE MADE IT!" They had erupted into a quick celebration. "Alright guys, on the truck!" Eric, Butch, and Amata got in the cab of the truck while everyone else got in the back and drove towards the base.
As soon as they made it to the entrance, Eric put the truck in park and jumped out to give Sergeant Miller a strong brotherly hug. "You did it Sergeant! You fucking did it!" Eric released Blake from his embrace. "We owe you big time."
Miller waved him off. "Like hell you do."
Eric wasn't letting him off the hook. "Come on Sergeant there has to be something we can do for you."
Blake looked Eric dead in the eyes. "You want to pay me back?" He pointed to the base. "Find the troops! Get their help! Go back and save your people! You do that and you can consider us even. Understood?" He asked holding out his hand.
Eric shook the man's hand. "Loud and clear. Again, thank you for your help Sergeant."
"You're welcome." Miller looked to the rest of the group. "Well everyone, this is where we part ways. Good luck."
Everyone thanked the Sergeant as he got in the truck and put it in drive. The Sergeant did a U-turn and drove back to Washingtonville.
Eric watched the truck drive away before turning to the rest of his group. "Let's spread out and find the soldiers."
Chicago Command Center: June 11, 2279. 9:00 A.M.
"MOVE MOVE MOVE MOVE MOVE MOVE!" One Brotherhood Paladin Commander ordered his soldiers. They were geared up in reinforced T-51b Power Armor and were armed with gatling lasers, gauss rifles, and missile launchers. All soldiers were waiting for General Monroe to give the orders.
Speaking of the General, he was standing on the balcony of the Command Center, overlooking his forces. Next to him was a podium with microphones on it for his upcoming speech. The Paladin Commander who was ordering the soldiers walked up the stairs to the balcony and over to General Monroe. "1st Battalion is ready to move General."
Two more Paladin Commanders came running up the stairs to General Monroe. "5th Battalion is good to go General." One Paladin Commander said.
"2nd and 3rd Armored Columns ready to roll General." The other Paladin Commander said.
"Good." Monroe replied. He walked over to the podium and spoke into the microphone to get the attention of his troops. "My fellow brothers and sisters please settle down and listen." Monroe's voice echoed through the speakers, gaining his soldiers' attention.
"The past has been marked by many good events. The fall of the Master, the end of the Enclave, and the expansion of the Brotherhood. However, the past is also marked by treachery and deceit. Recently a group of Capital Brotherhood soldiers came to us for assistance. They need our help against an evil foe…that evil foe is also a former ally. General Drake Marshes." The soldiers began to talk amongst themselves at the mention of the Brotherhood's most feared commander. "ATTENTION!" Monroe shouted into the speaker, silencing his troops and making them stand at attention.
"Our former ally stabbed us in the back, by lying to us to gain military support for his campaign of destruction in the Capital Wasteland and the construction of his Empire of Steel." The thought of being betrayed by one of their own had already gotten their blood boiling. "We know that he has killed hundreds, if not thousands of innocent wastelanders. He is close to exterminating the entire Capital Brotherhood and has already succeeded in wiping out a small breakaway force. Marshes has reached new heights of villainy by not only killing the innocent, but by murdering some of his own men. Though I condemn the actions of these men for following their heinous orders, they were merely used like pawns to ignite the fires of war for Marshes' political and military gain."
The Brotherhood Army was fuming. Marshes had stabbed them in the back, used weaponry they had given him and his men to slaughter thousands of wastelanders, and had killed some of his own men so the rest would go to war with Lyons' Brotherhood. He had played them all like a fiddle. Each soldier was foaming at the mouth, they wanted payback, they wanted justice, and they wanted it right NOW.
General Monroe noticed the looks on the faces of each and every one of his men. Oh yes, they wanted blood. He continued to speak. "So, I call upon my Knights and Paladins of justice to lift the evil cloak off of our fellow Brothers and Sisters in the East, as well as the men women and children that they have sworn to protect. No longer will we allow this wrong to go unanswered, but to do this I will need your help."
"As we speak right now, many more continue to die or are faced with the threat death by the treacherous General. I know his men are elite and know no fear, but once our great army goes to war, not even hell itself could fend off our assault. So my brave warriors I ask you to help me write the wrongs we unknowingly committed and vindicate our name. Let us NOT be remembered as those who stood by and allowed an empire of evil to form! We must fight! We will FIGHT! And we will WIN!"
All the soldiers had erupted into a combination of cheers and battle cries. They were ready for war. Most importantly, they were ready to end the existence of General Drake Marshes.
"Get ready to move!" General Monroe ordered his troops. Every Knight and Paladin took off in a dead sprint for their vehicles and choppers. Monroe turned to Paladin Glade and his group. "We attack in three days!" He looked to his second-in-command. "Thompson, until I return, you are in command of the Midwestern Army."
"Understood General." The Paladin Lord replied. Monroe and the others turned to leave, but was halted by Thompson. "Jack."
"Yes?" Monroe asked turning to Thompson.
Thompson smiled. "Kick Marshes' ass off this fucking planet!"
Monroe smiled as well. "I intend to."
Rebirth Army Base: June 11, 2279. 9:15 A.M.
The group had combed the entire base, looking for the American Military. So far, no luck, but they weren't giving up now. Butch had finished searching through the air traffic control tower, Amata and Harkness were examining the fire trucks parked between the hangers, and the rest of the group were trying to get inside the hangers...apparently that wasn't going to happen due to how tough the locks were. Uncle Leo was with Fawkes trying to get the door to Hanger 1 open.
Uncle Leo's patience was slowly deteriorating and was starting to get angry, which was a rarity for the peace-loving mutant. "Urgh! Come on, you puny door! Grrrr, BUDGE!"
Fawkes put a calming hand on the other mutant's shoulder. "Patience friend. We'll get it o-." Uncle Leo cut Fawkes off by repeatedly punching his fists against the metal door. "Open." He finished.
"OPEN!" Uncle Leo yelled.
Fawkes sighed and grabbed Uncle Leo by the arms to move him aside. Leo was breathing heavily after physically exerting his muscles. Fawkes took his super sledge and said. "It's all in the wrists. Observe." He leveled the super sledge against the door and took a couple practice swings before bringing it back and swinging it as hard as he could. The hammer connected with the center of the door. The door had a nice dent in it, but was still standing strong.
Uncle Leo chuckled at Fawkes' failed attempt to bust down the door. "All in the wrists huh?"
Fawkes growled and began to repeatedly slam his hammer against the door. While this was going on Harkness was desperately trying to get their attention. "Hey guys! Guys! GUYS!" Unfortunately he was unsuccessful in his attempts.
The rest of the group had come over to join Harkness. After a few more minutes of swinging the hammer, Uncle Leo took over for Fawkes so he could take a breather.
"What are they doing?" Eric asked Harkness.
"Trying to get in the hanger." The android told Eric.
"Did you tell them about the ramp?" Eric asked.
Harkness shrugged his shoulders. "I tried. Let them sweat it out, I'm finding this amusing."
After a few more minutes Uncle Leo finally gave up. He found himself winded and leaned up against the door for support, but quickly got back to his feet when he felt the door fall over. The metal door hit the concrete with a loud thud.
Uncle Leo and Fawkes gave each other a high-five in victory, but their victory was short-lived when Eric got their attention. "Um guys. You do know that there's a ramp that leads under the base." He pointed behind the hanger. "It's right behind the hanger."
Fawkes and Uncle Leo looked at each other before sighing in defeat.
"Come on guys let's go!" Everyone all followed Eric behind Hanger 1. The ramp was wide at the entrance and tall enough for a semi-truck to drive through. They all walked down the ramp and were blocked by a metal gate. Eric suddenly remembered the bundle of keys that came with the file that Knight Sergeant Wilks had given him. Eric pulled out the key ring and went through each and every key until he finally came across the right one. He unlocked the gate and opened it up with Harkness' help. Amata, Butch, and Eric had turned on their Pip-Boy flashlights to see where they were going.
They all continued down the ramp until they made it to 'Level Two.' The vehicle depot.
Eric looked like a kid on Christmas morning upon entering the depot, only instead of presents; it was armed U.S. Military vehicles. Sherman, Sheridan, Patton tanks, gun trucks.
"I think I'm in heaven." Eric whispered to himself. "Someone punch me so I know I'm not dreaming." Immediately on cue, Jericho came up and punched Eric in the face. "OW!" Eric, while rubbing the spot on his cheek that took the brunt of the punch, sent a murderous glare towards the ex-raider. "WHAT THE FUCK!"
Jericho had a smug look on his face and shrugged his shoulders indifferently. "Ya said to kid. I'm just followin' orders."
Eric clenched his teeth and pointed at Jericho. "You're a fucking asshole."
Jericho chuckled. "You've known me for two years and yur just now noticing this? Somethin's wrong with your brain kid."
"I hate you Jericho." Eric growled.
"Yet yur still dumb enough ta put up with me." Jericho stated matter-of-factly.
Eric was about to go another round with Jericho when Butch stepped between the two with a smile on his face. "Um, hi guys. Yeah when you two are done blowing each other, there's a row of stairs and elevators over there." Butch said pointing at the elevators. Amata put a hand over her mouth to hide her giggling. Harkness just shook his head. 'Those two are like children.'
Eric looked to the group. "Ok guys, let's take the elevators." Everyone, but Fawkes, Uncle Leo, and Charon went with Eric. They were standing by one of the military police transports, which Eric noticed. "Aren't you guys coming?" He asked.
Charon shook his head and was the first to answer him. "We think it would be unwise for the soldiers to see us the way that we are. Me being a ghoul and them," Charon pointed to the two super mutants. "being mutants. We don't know how they're going to react to us."
Eric nodded in understanding. "Alright guys. We'll be back in a bit." He looked down at Dogmeat. "You stay up here too boy!"
Dogmeat whined in protest but conceded and went over to join Charon and the others.
The group all piled into one of the elevators, which was a lot smaller than it looked. Eric looked at the panel of buttons and above it was a piece of paper that had each floor labeled. "Ok let's see, level one is the helicopter bay, level two is the vehicle depot, which is where we're at, level three is the robot storage, food court, power armor storage, barracks, armory, AH! Got it! Level nine is cryogenic chambers."
Jericho growled, shoving Harkness a little to give him more room. "Hey kid, ya mind hurrying the fuck up? It's tighter than Nova's fuckin' pussy in here."
Everyone gave Jericho a disgusted look. "That's real fucking mature Jericho." Eric said hitting the number nine button.
The ride down to level nine was quick. As soon as the elevator door opened, everyone was blasted with a wave of cold air. Eric got goose bumps. "Holy fuck, it's cold."
Everyone except Harkness was shivering because of how cold it was.
Amata tapped Eric on the shoulder. "Eric, check it out." It was so cold that every breath she let out could be seen.
"Yep." Eric replied rubbing his arms briskly for warmth. He saw the big metal door that kind of looked like a bank vault door less than ten feet away in front of him. "There's the door. Let's go."
Like the gate to the vehicle depot, the door needed a key. Not a metal key though, but a key card and there was only one key card attached to the key ring. Eric detached the key card and inserted it into the access pad. A light above the door flashed green indicating that it was now unlocked. Eric and Butch both spun the large handle around a few times before opening the door, letting out another wave of cold air, only this time much colder.
Jason shivered. "Jesus fuck Eric. How fucking cold can it get?" He asked.
Eric looked to the Ranger. "Temperatures can vary Jason." He answered the medic.
Butch was next to speak. "Some cryogenic chambers can reach as low as negative 5 degrees Fahrenheit, and as high as 30 degrees.
"Can we hurry up Eric? I feel like I'm going to turn to ice." Sydney asked with chattering teeth.
Jericho nodded in agreement. "I'm with the chick on dis one. I'm too cold for this shit."
Eric chuckled and led everyone inside the room. There were thousands of cylinder shaped cryo-pods. Next to them were lockers with ranks and insignias on them. Inside each pod were the men and women of the United States Armed Forces. Every last Soldier, Sailor, Marine, and Airman that were in those pods were the heroes of the Sino-American War.
Everyone had spread out to look at the soldiers inside the pods. Amata and Sydney both took notice of how many female soldiers there were. Butch was looking at the soldiers who were part of the 101st Airborne Division. He remembered reading old newspaper articles about how the 101st launched several offensive campaigns against the Chinese in Alaska. Although they suffered severe casualties, they had managed to win all but three offensives.
Eric smiled at the sight before him. "Take a good look everybody. We're staring into the faces of history." Then he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He walked over to seven cryo-pods that were located away from the others. Inside the pods were soldiers dressed in their service uniforms. He looked at the lockers and saw their ranks, one Brigadier General, a Rear Admiral, three Major Generals, a Lieutenant General, and a General.
'The base commanders.' Eric thought to himself. 'Which one of them is the traitor though?'
Eric immediately recognized each one of them from photos in newspaper cutouts. It was Admiral Howard, Generals Foster, Brookes, Webb, Wells, Michaelson, and… Eric didn't recognize the last General. It had to have been General Chase's replacement.
"Hey Eric!" A voice called out. Eric turned to his left and saw Harkness standing by a control panel with a terminal. "Found the controls."
Eric walked over to Harkness. "Is it working?" He asked the android.
"It is. The terminal will open the pods." Harkness told him.
Eric looked at the controls and noticed a small timer next to the terminal. The date on the timer was set to October 23, 2102. Eric frowned. "That's strange."
"What is?" Harkness asked as Butch and the others joined them.
Eric pointed at the timer. "The timer was set to unfreeze the soldiers on October 23 of 2102. That's over 175 years ago. Problem is, they're still frozen." He stated.
"Probably a malfunction." Harkness said.
"Maybe." Eric agreed looking at the group. He noticed Jericho was wielding an AK-47 assault rifle. "Jericho where'd you get that?"
Jericho chuckled admiring the rifle. "Ain't she a beaut? I got it outta one of the lockers."
Eric shook his head and activated the terminal. "Put it back Jericho!" He ordered.
Jericho glared at Eric. "Why should I?" He asked not wanting to let go of the rifle.
"It belongs to the soldier you took it from. Since I'm going to thaw them out, he's going to need his rifle back. So put it back!" Eric ordered again.
Jericho snarled like a feral animal before going back to the locker he took the rifle from. He put the rifle back and slammed the door shut childishly.
Eric snorted in amusement and looked back at the terminal. There were five options to choose from.
Deactivate General Cryo-pods
Deactivate Commander Cry-pods
Deactivate Trooper Cry-pods
Deactivate All Cry-pods
Purge Cryogenic Chambers
That last option unnerved Eric. "Why would they have that option?"
"What does purge mean?" Jason asked.
"It means to eradicate. Which means if I selected purge right now, the entire chamber will either explode, or be incinerated." Jason gulped nervously upon hearing that.
"Ok, here's what we're going to do. We're going to deactivate the Generals' pods first. We explain to them how we got here and that we're friendly, then we release the commanders and so-on-so-forth. Sound like a plan?" He asked. Everyone agreed and waited for Eric to hit the switch. "Guys, I need someone to go over and catch them when the pods open."
"We're on it!" Harkness volunteered and grabbed Butch by the collar of his combat armor. "Let's go rookie!" He said dragging the younger man away.
Butch rolled his eyes. "Will you please stop calling me rookie?"
Eric and the others chuckled. Everybody positioned themselves at a pod ready to catch the commanders.
Eric took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing." Eric hit the switch and unfroze the Generals. All of the pod doors swung open and the officers fell into the waiting arms of Eric's group.
Amata caught General Brookes, Harkness caught General Michaelson, Butch caught General Webb, Jericho caught Admiral Howard, Jason caught General Foster, and Sydney caught General Wells. Eric ran over just in time to catch General Chase's replacement. They all gently set them down against the cold hard floor.
The group spent the next few minutes waking up the commanding Generals. The first one to come too was General Foster. Next were General Brookes, then Michaelson, then Webb, then Wells, then Howard, and lastly Chase's replacement.
General Foster slowly got to his knees and took a few deep breaths before getting up to his feet. His balance was a bit off after being stuck in a freezer for the past couple hundred years. He turned and helped General Brookes to her feet. The other officers got up to their feet and all looked at Eric's group skeptically.
The General who had replaced Chase stepped forward and looked at Eric with a scowl on his face. "Who are you people?" He asked condescendingly.
Eric raised his hands up to show that he was no threat, causing others to follow suit. "My name is Eric Daniels and these are my companions." Eric replied pointing to his friends. "We're here as friends."
Fort Independence: June 11, 2279. 10:36 A.M.
Paladin Commander Mullen and his sole surviving Warrior Squad were packing up their weapons and three days' worth of food. Warrior One was the only group of soldiers left alive that would follow Mullen into hell without hesitation.
Mullen had come to the conclusion that he was not going to stick around if or when the Midwestern Brotherhood would arrive. He gathered Warrior One and explained the situation to them. Now here they were, planning to leave the Capital Wasteland and leave Marshes to his fate.
"We're ready to move sir." One soldier told Mullen.
Mullen slung an assault pack over his shoulders. "Good, let's go!"
"Going somewhere?" A voice asked behind the group. They all gasped and whipped around to find General Marshes standing in the doorway with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. "I'm only going to ask you one more time. Are you going somewhere?"
Mullen kept his cool, though he felt like he was facing death at the moment. "We're leaving General."
Marshes arched an eyebrow. "Leaving?"
One of Mullen's men stepped up. "You're going to get us all killed General."
"We aren't going to stick around when the Midwest shows up." Another soldier said.
If looks could kill, Marshes would be responsible for their deaths. "What are you talking about? If the Midwest sends troops, we'll send them back in coffins." He said adamantly.
"Like hell we will!" Mullen almost shouted.
Marshes glared at his closest friend. "Do you have any idea how cowardly all of you sound right now?"
"Do you have any idea how stupid you are Drake!" Mullen Retorted.
"What?" Marshes said in a dangerously low voice.
"Just what I said General. You're a fool wearing blinkers. You honestly believe that if the Midwest sends troops to fight that we will win. Well guess what Drake? It's time to wake up and stop living in your 'Supreme Commander' fantasy. Face the facts! We don't have a chance in hell!"
"So that's it then? You plan on leaving your brothers and sisters? You plan on running away like a bunch of cowards? If anyone needs to wake up it's you! We're gonna fight and there is no way we'll lose." Marshes said confidently.
Mullen shook his head in disappointment. "I'm sorry you see things that way General, but we aren't staying."
Marshes pulled out a .44 magnum. "You want to leave? You're going to have to get past me first." He cocked the hammer back on the revolver.
Mullen and his men all pulled out a laser pistol ready to face off against their former leader. "We're prepared to do that Drake. Just remember it's six against one." He pointed out.
General Marshes smiled evilly. "My kind of odds." Before anyone realized what happened next, Marshes raised his revolver and fired, hitting one of Mullen's men in the neck, causing blood to pool out of the wound.
The last thing Mullen remembered was the flurry of bullets and laser bursts flying around the room before blacking out.
Well, what did you guys think? Who is General Chase's replacement? Who on that base is the traitor that Chase is talking about? Did Mullen survive? Find out in the next chapter. Remember to leave a like or review, or both. Constructive criticism and ideas are welcome. NCRMC signing off for now.