Writing this story for you guys has probably been one of the greatest things I've ever done. I thank you all so much for the support you have given me, you have no idea how much it means to me :)
WARNING: This chapter has severe death scenes.
Reviews:
Guest 1: I have to disagree with you on that. There are many places he could've gotten coffee, such as Mothership Zeta and what not, but I appreciate the constructive criticism and thank you for the review.
Guest 2: When I said that the Courier won't expect Rebirth coming, I meant he won't expect their arrival, but it's a good thing they show up when they do. As for who leads the Warrior Squads, that would be Marshes former second-in-command Tyler Mullen and he's currently in the Big Town Prison Camp.
DarkRank550: Thank you my friend it is good to be back.
Guest 3: According to Fallout Wikia Paladin Tristan is a member of the Pride. And thank you for the praise, it really means a lot.
TexWolf117: Actually my friend you're not that far off at all.
alanranks7: Thanks friend.
GuestDB: Thank you my good friend, read on and you will find out what got them spooked. Though I will tell you it is not a flag, BUT that is a damn good guess.
Anon: Nope, not Liberty Prime.
Guest 4: According to an NCR history holodisk in Fallout 2, the NCR has well over 700,000 people and you're right about Marshes army being to large. That will be explained in the next chapter. As for the agriculture that will be revealed for a later chapter. Thank you for the constructive criticism though and I appreciate the review.
Guest 5: Yes Moira Brown is alive on Mothership Zeta.
Dragonbornwanderer: Thanks bro. Something may or may not happen to Amata, as for the super weapon you're close, but Marshes doesn't have any allies. Keep on reading to find out.
Guest 6: That was my intention all along. Hahaha I'm glad you're interested in this story.
Guest 7: Yes in the Fallout world General Chase was indeed a fool, but in this story I needed someone that these soldiers looked up to, and my intentions was to always make General Babcock the bad guy. So I edited Chase's character in this story to make him more of a true war hero.
eric rathbun2: Thank for that friend. It truly means a lot to me that you think I'm a great writer.
OneTwo9th: Chapter 18 is here. And I'm sorry for the longer wait.
Chapter 18: Fall of Lyons' Brotherhood
The Purifier: June 12, 2279. 7:48 A.M.
In the waters around the Jefferson Memorial, were a dozen beat up but functioning Coast Guard patrol boats. Each boat had three soldiers in salvaged Enclave power armor, but none of them were part of the Lost Hills Army.
Josh Bennett, Commander of SEAL Team 5 looked through a set of binoculars as hundreds of troops were setting up positions across the Potomac near the Citadel. It wasn't just troops though. There were fifteen tanks and twenty howitzers set up from the Citadel main gate to the Citadel parking lot. The Paladins and Knights that were moving the artillery made sure that the Purifier was in their sights. Commander Bennett could tell that something bad was going to happen soon.
He took off his helmet and knelt down to grab his personal radio. "Master Chief, you got eyes to the East?" The Commander asked.
To the South of the Potomac hiding in the rubble of a collapsed building dressed in light gray combat armor were three Navy SEAL snipers. The Master Chief had a suppressed .308 rifle and an anti-material rifle for when the party would start. He looked down his scope to the East of the Jefferson Memorial before replying. "Affirmative Commander, there's about a hundred soldiers and a few more tanks rolling in." He aimed towards the parking lot near the broken bow of Rivet City and spotted a platoon of Lost Hills soldiers in salvaged Hellfire armor. "I've got about thirty soldiers in some kind of tough looking power armor in the parking lot next to the aircraft carrier." The Master Chief aimed his scope at the top of the broken bow. "There's also a group of snipers on the bow of the ship."
'Shit something is definitely about to happen.' "Alright, Master Chief I want you to relay this message to Command. Tell them that friendly Brotherhood forces at the Jefferson Memorial are about to get hit hard!"
"I don't know Commander, that energy field looks pretty strong. I seriously don't think that they'll be able to penetrate that type of defense." The Master Chief said through the radio.
"Strong or not, just relay the message!" Commander Bennett ordered with a little more authority. "I've got a bad fucking feeling right now."
"Understood Commander."
Commander Bennett slipped his power helmet back on and watched as more and more soldiers continued to arrive near the Potomac. He turned his attention to the Jefferson Memorial and looked through his binoculars where he saw several friendly Brotherhood soldiers looking through their own binoculars. While the enemy opposition continued to grow, Commander Bennett, though he couldn't see the expressions behind their helmets, the soldiers of Lyons' Brotherhood were just as afraid as he was.
Raven Rock: June 12, 2279. 7:53 A.M.
Paladin Tyrell Richards was sitting in his command tent going over a map of the Capital Wasteland. Eric and the others had left to go liberate the innocent wastelanders that were being held captive at Big Town. While they were busy taking care of the prison camp, Paladin Richards was debating on whether or not he should send a squad of Knights to launch a diversionary attack at Fort Bannister.
While he was going through all possible places he could attack without suffering severe casualties, he heard the flap to his tent open. He looked up and saw that the flap was moving, but no one had walked in. Normally, Paladin Richards would've suspected it was the wind, but he suddenly felt a chill go up his spine. Richards stood up from his chair and instinctively went for his laser pistol on the table.
"Don't even try it!" A cold voice said.
Paladin Richards looked up as a soldier in advanced power armor Mk II decloaked and pointed a .44 magnum at his head. The Paladin's eyes widened in terror as he realized who it was. "General Marshes."
The Lost Hills General smiled maliciously. "You know it took my scouts a while to find out where the rest of you were operating. I would've thought you and every other traitor from Lyons' Brotherhood outside the Purifier would be hiding in a cave. That was a foolish move on my part seeing as how you and your men are more resolute in continuing to fight a war, even if it's a war that you're losing. I admire your efforts, but in the end it will all be for nothing."
"That's what the Enclave thought too, before we kicked their ass and won that is." Paladin Richards stated defiantly.
General Marshes smile got colder. "Yes, you did win, but according to Casdin when I arrived, you only won for two reasons. The first being that giant robot you had before it was destroyed and the second," The General spoke with a more respective voice. "the main reason why you won was because of your Lone Wanderer. If it wasn't for them, you and every traitor would have been slaughtered." He said holding Eric in high regards while insulting Lyons' Brotherhood.
The Brotherhood Paladin just shrugged as if the insult didn't faze him. "Yes, you're right about that General, Eric is one of the main reasons we were able to defeat the Enclave. You want to know why?"
"Is it because he wasn't afraid to step up and fight a superior force?" The General mocked.
Paladin Richards gave Marshes a cocky smirk. "Nope, it's because Eric is ten times the leader you will ever be and fifty times the soldier your boys will ever be. Unlike you and your men, Eric doesn't lack conviction!"
Marshes glared daggers at the defiant Paladin and sneered. "You may think that now, but once I'm finished here and the Purifier is in my hands, I will send every last soldier I have after him and break that so called 'conviction.' Once he's out of the way, the Capital Wasteland will be under my control!"
"Until the Midwest arrives and sends you packing!" Paladin Richards said unimpressed by Marshes and his little speech.
"I'm counting on their arrival." Marshes said as if he was about to accomplish his greatest victory.
"Yes I figured as much, but are you counting on what else may be coming?" Paladin Richards asked.
General Marshes narrowed his eyes in confusion. "What are you talking about Paladin?"
"Even if you manage to stop the Midwest, there will always be a force that's more superior to yours. Judgement day is coming for you soon General." The Paladin said concealing what was truly coming to stop the Lost Hills army.
Marshes just chuckled at the Paladin's last statement. 'Judgment day? Fucking preacher types.' "I don't know what it is about you preacher types, thinking that a force that doesn't exist will help you. The Enclave couldn't stop me, the NCR couldn't stop me, your Brotherhood and the Outcasts couldn't stop me. This so called "superior force" you speak of won't be able to stop me!"
Richards smiled. "We'll see." With that, the Brotherhood Paladin decided there would be no talking and quickly went for his laser pistol. To his credit, Paladin Richards managed to aim the energy sidearm at the rogue Brotherhood General's head before a .44 magnum went through his left eye and exited the back of his skull. The back of the Paladin's head exploded, causing his brains to splatter across the tent.
The two Knights standing guard outside the tent immediately had their gauss rifles in hand and charged inside. General Marshes spun around and fired at the first Knight, penetrating the visor of his power helmet. The second Knight had a chance to fire his gauss rifle, but unbelievably the General managed to dodge the charge by mere centimeters. The Knight scrambled to reload his energy rifle, but when he heard Marshes cock the hammer on his revolver, he closed his eyes as four .44 magnum rounds found their way into his helmet.
Every other Brotherhood soldier, along with a few armed wastelanders, heard the shots and grabbed their weapons, moving to take out whatever threat had entered their camp. The soldiers had completely surrounded the tent and were about to open up with a variety of lasers, plasma, and bullets when a missile slammed into a tin shack to the south. A group of wastelanders near the destroyed shack made a futile attempt to escape as twenty Lost Hills soldiers in salvaged Enclave armor disintegrated them with gatling lasers and laser rifles.
The Brotherhood soldiers all ran to combat the rogue Brotherhood faction while three wastelanders slowly stepped inside the tent to find the hostile individual that had entered the camp. All they found was the deceased Paladin Richards and Knights. One wastelander moved to inspect Paladin Richards while the other two stood in the center of the room. The two wastelanders listened as the battle drew closer and the sounds of screaming women and children got louder.
They were brought out of their thoughts when someone said, "Looking for something?"
The two whipped around just in time to meet their demise as General Marshes decloaked with a combat knife in hand and a power helmet on. Marshes quickly jabbed the blade into the neck of the wastelander to his left before he, in one deft move, slit the throat of the wastelander to his right. The doomed wastelander dropped his assault rifle and slammed a hand over his throat to stop the blood that was spewing out of his wound. Marshes immediately grabbed the assault rifle and aimed it at the third wastelander who was aiming his hunting rifle at him.
"Do you really think you have a chance?" Marshes goaded.
The wastelander gave Marshes his answer by firing a .308 caliber round which harmlessly bounced off the power armor. Marshes scoffed. "Nice try." He said before emptying the entire magazine into the wastelander.
Two Lost Hills Paladins walked in the tent armed with gatling lasers. "What are your orders General?"
General Marshes looked to his soldiers. "Burn this camp to the ground and take no prisoners. Kill everyone you come across."
"Yes sir!" The Paladins said concurrently as their commander left the tent to head back to Fort Independence.
Rebirth Central Command Room: June 12, 2279. 8:01 A.M.
"WHAT?" Air Force General Webb shouted in shock from what General Wells had learned from Guardian Angel and his snipers. "HOW IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST ALMIGHTY DID THEY GET THEIR HANDS ON ONE?"
"I don't know Frank, but what I do know is that as long as they have a Hellfire in their possession we can't risk any of our aircraft." General Wells told the two-star General.
"I understand Andrew. Webb out." Frank hung up the radio and sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. He turned to Lieutenant Hawk. "Lieutenant, contact all squadron leaders and tell their pilots that all flights are suspended until further notice."
Lieutenant Hawk looked baffled by that order. If the Rebirth army was going to fight this war, they would have to rely heavily on their power armored units and air support. Though he wanted to question the order, he knew that the Air Force General wouldn't give that kind of order unless it was something serious.
"Yes General." The Lieutenant said grabbing a radio. "Attention all squadron leaders have your pilots stand down, repeat stand down! All flights are suspended until further notice." The Lieutenant's voice echoed from speakers throughout the base.
General Webb took a seat and felt a slight twinge of fear. Without helicopters to drop in more troops or vehicles or fighters to provide air support, General Wells and his ground force were in for a hell of a fight.
"General," Frank looked over to Lieutenant Hawk who was holding up a radio. "It's Major Clegg; he's made contact with the Midwestern Brotherhood."
The Air Force General jumped out of his seat and took the radio as his hopes began to rise a little. "Go ahead Major."
Meanwhile at the U.S. Army Staging Area
General Andrew Wells sat quietly inside his tent. He didn't like the odds he was going up against. With only 1,500 troops (both power armored and regular infantry) and a handful of tanks, plus General Michaelson and his 300 Power Armored Marines, they were still outnumbered. General Wells immediately began devising a plan on how he would be able to take out the enemy weapon without suffering severe casualties.
"General."
Andrew looked up from his map of D.C. and saw one of his radio operators standing in front of him. "What is it Corporal?"
"Wolverine One is reporting heavy gunfire at the Raven Rock Refugee Camp." The Corporal informed the three-star General.
"What?" General Wells's heart sank a bit. Lieutenant Smith had reported back to him over the radio to let him know that Raven Rock was a friendly Brotherhood outpost. After the first wave of troops had landed at the staging area, he immediately ordered Lieutenant Mason and his Green Berets to link up with the commanding officer at Raven Rock.
"Command, come in!" The Green Beret Lieutenant's voice said through the radio.
"Give me the radio Corporal!" The General ordered and the radio operator quickly handed him the radio. "Wolverine One this is General Wells, what's going on down there?"
"General, we've got about 25 maybe 30 enemy soldiers attacking the camp! We've taken up defensive positions not too far away. (Boom) JESUS, KEEP YOUR HEADS DOWN!"
"What's happening Lieutenant, have you been discovered?" The Army General asked.
"Negative General, stray rockets hit near our position…These assholes are killing everyone in the camp! There are women and children being gunned down! Request permission to engage." The sound of machine gun and laser fire grew louder in the background.
"Negative Wolverine One, from the sounds of it, you're outgunned and outnumbered, I'm sending reinforcements now." Andrew turned to a nearby soldier, "Private Casey, get Captain Wilder in here!"
"Yes General." The Private quickly darted out the tent to find the Georgia Guard Commander.
"General the civilians will be dead and the enemy soldiers will be long gone by the time reinforcements arrive." Lieutenant Mason stressed.
"That's a negative Lieutenant. I'm not going to risk the enemy being alerted of our presence."
"General, with all due respect, we have the training and equipment to take these fuckers out before they even get that chance." The Lieutenant said as Captain Wilder entered the tent.
General Wells began considering whether or not he should allow them to engage. It was twenty Special Forces operators with marksman carbines against thirty well trained power armored soldiers with laser and heavy weapons. The General then took into account the many successful ops that Lieutenant Mason and his men had completed in both Anchorage and China.
Andrew finally relented. "Alright Lieutenant, you have the green light to engage."
"Roger that command!"
General Wells handed the radio back to the Corporal and turned to Captain Wilder. "Captain, I want you to take a platoon and head to Raven Rock to reinforce Lieutenant Mason and his men. His men may have the training to take out the enemy soldiers there, but I want some extra muscle backing him up. Take a truck and get out there ASAP!"
"Yes, General." The Captain saluted Andrew before leaving the tent to gather his men.
As the Captain left, Admiral Howard, commanding officer of all U.S. Navy personnel from Rebirth, entered the tent with a worried look on his face. Admiral Howard saluted the General. "Andrew."
"Admiral, tell me you have some good news." Andrew said.
Admiral Howard opened his mouth then closed it. He opened his mouth again debating whether or not he should tell his superior officer what his SEALs just told him.
John finally spoke. "Um, Andrew we may have a problem."
Big Town Prison Camp: June 12, 2279. 8:09 A.M.
What was once the town for "mungos" was now a prison camp for the Lost Hills Army. On the roof of each house in the town was a Lost Hills Knight armed with a sniper rifle to make sure no one tried to escape. Surrounding the town was over a dozen Paladins armed with gauss rifles and gatling lasers to make sure no one tried to get in or out of the camp. At the town entrance were two humvees with a .50 caliber machine gun.
A third humvee had pulled up to the entrance. A Knight got out and dragged a bruised and beaten wastelander out of the back of the vehicle.
"GET IN THERE YOU MOTHERFUCKER!" The Knight shouted as he shoved the battered wastelander across the bridge into the makeshift prison camp. Standing next to the town hall was the former second-in-command to General Marshes, Tyler Mullen. He watched in disgust as the Knight smashed the butt of his laser rifle against the back of the wastelander's head. He wasn't just disgusted with the soldiers; he was disgusted with himself for the things he had done.
After being asked by Paladin Jacob Alexander to go out and get to know some of the wastelanders that were imprisoned here, he did. He got to know about how one family had fought their whole life to survive, fighting off raiders and mutants just to keep their children safe. He got to know a wastelander who lost his wife in a raider attack and how he had managed to get his two daughters to Megaton where they would be safe. After getting to know so many wastelanders, the cold ruthless Lost Hills soldier had a change of heart.
He felt sorry for a lot of these people and how they had to live out in the wastes, where as he grew up in a sheltered life to be raised as a soldier. These people never had that chance to live the life he lived, and because of that, he treated them like the lowest form of trash and took great pleasure in killing many of them. For all his actions, for everything he had done to innocent wastelanders, he felt nothing but extreme guilt.
"COME ON GET UP YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" The Knight shouted at the wastelander. He prepared to slam the butt of his energy rifle into the man again when someone grabbed ahold of it. The Knight looked up and saw a very irate Commander Mullen. The snipers standing on the town hall and the clinic aimed their rifles at the back of Mullen's head. The man that was being beaten by the Knight quickly crawled away and was helped up to his feet by Paladin Alexander. Alexander and his surviving squad of five Brotherhood Paladins watched with rising concerns as all enemy soldiers aimed their weapons at their new ally.
As for Mullen, after everything he had done to the innocent people of the Capital Wasteland, he wasn't about to let anyone else suffer, even if that meant getting shot by his own brothers and sisters. Scratch that, his former brothers and sisters.
"Stand down soldier!" Mullen ordered with an extreme level of hostility in his voice.
"You're in no position to give me orders Mullen." The Knight growled back. "You better get back before I-"
"Before you what?" Mullen challenged the Knight.
As the Knight was about to reply, a little red rocket flew over their heads and into the power helmet of the sniper standing on the roof of the town hall. The sniper fell off the roof and onto the dirt where everyone got a good look at the gaping hole in the side of his head. A second rocket flew over and impacted the sniper standing on the clinic, giving the same result as before. As soon as the second sniper fell off the roof several more rockets began flying, hitting and killing the rest of the snipers.
The two Paladins that manned the .50 caliber machine guns on the humvees were about to open fire when they each received a bullet through the visor of their helmets.
While the Paladins that surrounded the town went to combat the attacking foes, the Knight that Mullen had confronted, delivered a fierce kick to the former second-in-command. The kick was enough to cause Mullen to relinquish his hold on the weapon and send him staggering back a few feet.
The Knight aimed his laser rifle at Mullen. "Now you die Commander."
Tyler glared daggers at his enemy and waited for the unavoidable when a shot rang out and the Knight fell back dead. Mullen turned around and saw Paladin Alexander aiming a sniper rifle that he got off one of the dead Lost Hills Paladins.
Mullen gave a nod of thanks before picking up the dead Knight's laser rifle. He fired several laser bursts into two Lost Hills Paladins that tried mounting the .50 caliber machine guns on the humvees, killing them both.
Paladin Alexander and his squad, now equipped with sniper rifles from the fallen Lost Hills marksmen gathered all the prisoners in the camp and prepared to lead them out.
Paladin Alexander came up behind Mullen. "Let's get these people out of here!"
Tyler nodded in agreement and started moving his way out of the camp with the Paladins and now liberated prisoners in tow. Ahead, they saw two Lost Hills Paladins get pelted with armored piercing bullets. As the two enemy soldiers' lifeless bodies hit the ground, Mullen and the others saw a man in a black battle dress uniform standing over them.
Alexander instantly recognized the man. "Eric!" He shouted.
Eric loaded a new magazine into his M16 and looked to Alexander and his squad. "Jacob! We don't have time to waste! Get everyone to Hamilton's Hideaway, NOW!" The Star Paladin ordered his lower ranking brothers.
All of a sudden everyone heard the sounds of tires squealing against pavement. Everyone turned and saw a humvee coming from the direction of the abandoned super mutant camp. Eric noticed several bullet holes in the windshield of the vehicle. He also noticed that the vehicle wasn't slowing down and that he was right in its path.
Eric's eyes widened. "Oh shit!" He quickly did a dive roll to the right, narrowly escaping death by mere inches.
Everyone watched in surprise as the enemy humvee crashed into the boarded up house across the street from the town. A wounded Knight fell out of the front passenger seat of the humvee and tried crawling to safety, but Eric aimed down the scope of his assault rifle and fired three rounds into the Knight's back, putting him out of his misery.
After witnessing what just happened, Mullen, Alexander and his men weren't going to waste any more time and began leading everyone to Hamilton's Hideaway.
Eric looked back towards the abandoned super mutant camp and saw Sergeant Weston and Captain Broadhead running towards him at full speed.
Captain Broadhead was first to speak. "We gotta get out of here Eric, more reinforcements are coming!" She said trying to catch her breath from all the running.
Eric nodded and they were about to follow the group of freed prisoners when... "Coming through!" Specialist Parker Daniels ran past them with four C-4 charges in hand.
The demolitions expert placed a charge on all four Humvees so the enemy wouldn't be able to use them against the invasion force. As soon as the last charge was set Parker ran back to regroup with Eric and the others. Out of nowhere, a gauss charge hit him in the back, causing him to fall to his hands and knees and yell in agony.
"PARKER!" Carter and Melissa shouted synchronously.
Eric quickly raised his rifle in the direction of where the shot came from as did Melissa and Carter and spotted a second Knight that came out of the crashed humvee. The enemy soldier also looked wounded and frantically tried to reload his gauss rifle, but there was no way he was going to get that chance. Eric, Carter, and Melissa all fired their weapons at full auto into the soldier until their guns were empty. The Knight fell over dead with several holes in his armor. They didn't even bother to reload. They immediately went to tend to their fallen comrade.
The three soldiers could see a large amount of blood pooling from his mouth which indicated severe internal damage. They could also hear what sounded like the Specialist choking on his own blood.
Sergeant Weston grabbed Parker by the shoulder and helped him to his feet. "Come on brother, we're getting you out of here!"
Parker quickly shrugged himself free of Carter's grip and coughed up some blood. "No. You guys go! I'll buy you some time!" That's when everyone heard the engine of a Lost Hills army truck moving towards the town. Parker ripped off his dog tags and shoved them into Carter's hands. "GO!" He yelled as loud as he could while coughing up more blood. The Shadow Knight Specialist hastily staggered his way to the crashed humvee with the C-4 detonator in hand.
Eric, Melissa, and Carter wanted to stop him, but they knew his injury was too grave and that he'd be dead in a matter of minutes. The three soldiers fell back to Hamilton's Hideaway.
Just as the truck full of soldiers arrived, Parker made it to the crashed humvee and leaned up against it to keep him from falling. The Lost Hills soldiers all aimed their weapons at him.
The Shadow Knight smiled as he pulled the trigger and detonated the C-4 charges. The explosions instantaneously incinerated Specialist Daniels and tore apart the power armored enemy soldiers.
Eric looked back to examine the damage done by the deceased Shadow Knight and saw that not only the humvees were destroyed, but the defenses to the town entrance along with a couple houses were also destroyed.
The prisoners of Big Town had been liberated, but at the cost of one of their own.
Raven Rock: June 12, 2279. 8:21 A.M.
A critically wounded Lost Hills Paladin desperately tried crawling for his radio to call for backup when a soldier pressed his combat boot down on his back, preventing him from going any further. The soldier aimed his suppressed marksman carbine at the back of the Paladin's power helmet and fired a single shot. The bullet was armored piercing so it easily pierced the Paladin's helmet and entered his brain.
The last of the soldiers that attacked the friendly Brotherhood camp had been killed by Lieutenant Mason and his Green Berets. Lieutenant Mason slung his rifle over his shoulder and looked around to survey the damage that had been done.
All the tents that had been set up were burned to the ground and the tin shacks that some wastelanders had set up were either blown apart or completely collapsed while several fires continued to burn. Scattered throughout the camp were piles of goo and ashes. They were all that remained of many wastelanders that took refuge at the camp. Those that hadn't been vaporized or liquefied were torn up and filled with bullets. Men, women, and children, every one of them were innocent, and they were all cut down by Marshes' men.
Along with Paladin Richards and his men, Lieutenant Mason had lost two of his own men and a third one had lost his right leg. The Lieutenant himself had suffered a few injuries. He had a trail of blood running down the left side of his face and had taken a laser burst to his lower left abdomen. The Lieutenant caught something out of the corner of his eye and went to it.
Coming from the north was an M35 army truck carrying Captain Wilder and his Guardsmen. The Green Berets didn't bother turning around, they had a feeling General Wells had sent reinforcements. Most of the SF Operators started going around seeing if there were any surviving wastelanders amongst the dead.
The Captain got out of the truck and strode to Lieutenant Mason while the other Guardsmen went to help the Green Berets see if there were any survivors.
"You alright Lieutenant?" The Georgia Guard Commander asked.
Lieutenant Mason didn't answer. His attention was completely focused on a little girl who couldn't have been older than nine. She had been shot several times by a minigun and her face was covered in blood. Captain Wilder could sense that the Special Forces Lieutenant was feeling a tremendous amount of guilt.
"Lieutenant!" The Captain said a little louder.
Lieutenant Mason spared a quick glance at the higher rank before looking back to the little girl then the rest of the children spread out across the destroyed refugee camp.
After a few more seconds of silence, the Lieutenant spoke. "Captain…We were too late." Donald said remorsefully.
Captain Wilder sighed with empathy. He'd been in the same situation as the Lieutenant so he understood the guilt he was feeling. "There's nothing you could have done Donald." He said using the Lieutenant's first name
"I know, bu-" That's when everyone heard what sounded like a baby crying. "Do you hear that?"
The Guard Captain nodded and looked in the direction of where he suspected the noise was coming from. His eyes landed on one of the collapsed tin shacks. "It's coming from over there," He said pointing at the shack.
The Captain and some of his men ran with the Lieutenant over to the shack and started moving the debris out of the way. After the last of the wreckage had been removed, they saw one of Richard's Knights lying face down with a small shovel in hand. A massive chunk of the Knight's armor had been melted from plasma fire and it appeared that the plasma had burned a hole in his back. The sound of crying was a little louder now. Captain Wilder knelt down and rolled the body over and everyone's eyes widened in shock. The Knight was lying on top of a hole and inside the hole was a little baby girl that was wrapped up in a dirty pink blanket and couldn't have been six months old.
Lieutenant Mason was quick to react. "Medic!" He shouted, calling for his platoon medic.
The medic rushed over to see what was needed of him. When he spotted the baby, he froze in his tracks, but didn't stay frozen for long. The Medic knelt down and unwrapped the baby to see if she had suffered any injuries. "Shshshshsh, it's ok." The medic cooed trying to calm the crying child. Once he made sure the baby was unharmed he wrapped her back up in her blanket, scooped her up and cradled her in his arms. "It's ok, shhhhhhhh it's ok." The medic said quietly to try and calm her down again.
Captain Wilder was trying to figure out why the baby was there in the first place. Then he saw the small shovel in the Knight's hand and put two and two together. The Knight had been injured during the battle and he found the baby girl somewhere, so he dug a hole and placed her inside then used his body as a human shield when the tin shack collapsed. The Knight had given his life to save this baby.
Now the Captain's blood was really boiling. He had to figure that someone who was willing to give his or her life to save another was rare in a world filled with death and destruction. Not only that, but he remembered what Eric had told them during his visit to Rebirth. They were going up against an enemy that showed no remorse when killing innocent people.
The Guard Captain looked to Lieutenant Mason and his men and could see they were just as angry. Even though he couldn't see the expressions of his own men he could tell they wanted blood.
"Make no mistake boys." Captain Wilder said gathering everyone's attention. "When we hit these fuckers we are going to hit them hard. We will make them pay. Hooah?"
"HOOAH!" The Guardsmen and Green Berets shouted simultaneously.
"They didn't show these people any mercy, so we are going to extend the same courtesy to them." Captain Wilder knew that once everyone at the staging area got word of the attack, they'd be foaming at the mouths for blood. Sooner or later, they'll get their chance.
Meanwhile at Hamilton's Hideaway
Lieutenant Ryan Smith was fuming over the death of his demolition expert and close friend. Parker had been one of the best soldiers to serve in his platoon.
When Eric, Carter, and Melissa made it to Hamilton's Hideaway, Carter handed Parker's tags to Ryan and told him what happened.
Eric watched as the Shadow Elite Lieutenant paced back and forth clenching his fallen friend's dog tags in his hands. Even though these Shadow Knights volunteered to help Eric, he couldn't help, but feel responsible for the Specialist's death.
"Ryan-" Eric started to say, but Ryan stopped dead in his tracks and without looking, pointed a finger at the younger man.
"Eric if you so much as utter an apology I will kick your ass from here to Anchorage!" The hostility in the Lieutenant's voice was enough to seal Eric's lips. "We stepped up and volunteered so we knew the risks coming into this." Ryan looked to his men. "Right?" He got a bunch of nods and yeses in response to his question. "You see Eric? We know the risks and we're willing to take them. So don't apologize, understood?"
Eric was a bit hesitant at first, but nodded. "Understood."
"Good, now," Ryan looked to his closest friend and radio operator. "Carter, contact Raven Rock and ask Richards where else we can hit Marshes where it hurts."
"Got it bud." Carter grabbed his radio and adjusted the dial until he was on Raven Rock's channel. "Insurgent to Raven Rock come in Raven Rock!" (Static) "What the hell?" Carter tried adjusting the frequency to see if that would help. "Raven Rock this is Insurgent, do you read me?" (Static) "Shit. Carter all I'm getting is static."
"Probably because we're underground, see if you can get a signal outside." Ryan suggested. "Keep your eyes open man!"
"Always do." Carter said heading for the cave entrance. Once he was outside he tried contacting the Brotherhood Refugee Camp again. "Raven Rock this is Insurgent, do you read me?" (Static) That's when Carter felt like something was really wrong. The radio operator changed the channel to the U.S. Army Staging Area. "Command, this is Insurgent."
"Go ahead Insurgent." General Wells' voice replied.
"Command, I've lost contact with Raven Rock. Has Wolverine One established contact with the camp?" Carter asked.
Carter knew something was wrong when he heard the three-star General sigh. "Sergeant Weston, there's been a situation."
Inside the cave Ryan, Eric and the others waited for Carter to return with information on where they could strike Lost Hills next. A few minutes later, the radio operator returned with a pale look on his face.
Melissa was the first to notice. "Carter? What's wrong?"
Carter didn't acknowledge her; he turned and looked over to Eric and the remaining members of Lyons' Pride since it was their fellow brothers and sisters at Raven Rock. He contemplated on whether or not he should deliver this bad news. He took a deep and sighed. "Lost Hills just wiped out Raven Rock." He told them bluntly.
The news hit Eric and the other Brotherhood soldiers like a truck. Glade felt like someone punched him in the gut and Eric felt like he was about to lose it. Their morale was at an all-time low. Even Knight Captain Colvin, the preacher of Lyons' Pride, felt like the situation was becoming hopeless.
Amata and Butch were concerned about how Eric was taking the news about the attack.
"What the hell happened?" Ryan asked Carter.
"A platoon of soldiers opened fire on the camp, Lieutenant Mason and his Green Berets arrived and took them out, but they were too late. They only found one survivor."
Judging by how conflicted Carter looked, Eric knew there was more. "What else is there?"
Carter sighed again before speaking. "Marshes is about to launch an all-out assault on the Jefferson Memorial. According to Tiger Team, things aren't looking good."
"What do you mean?" Paladin Glade asked.
"Commander Bennett said Marshes has dispatched almost every tank and howitzer he has and set them up around the Memorial."
Now Eric's heart really sank into his stomach. Sure when he had gotten the Vault 101 residents to the purifier, the energy dome was able to hold off the artillery barrage that rained down as they made it. Now with several tanks and howitzers unleashing a nonstop assault on the Purifier, the energy dome might not last long.
"Do you think they have a chance Eric?" Butch asked wondering if Eric was still optimistic.
"If you asked me that question a week ago, I would've told yeah. Now I'm not so sure anymore Butch." Eric replied, his voice cracking a little. Like Colvin, he also felt like there was no hope left for Lyons' Brotherhood.
Citadel Parking Lot: June 12, 2279. 8:33 A.M.
The Purifier was now the only remaining base left in Lyons' Brotherhood. There were only thirty Brotherhood soldiers left, along with Head Scribe Rothchild and Paladin Jensen. There was also a handful of Mister Gutsies and Sentry Bots. Outside the memorial was a field hospital that still had several wounded wastelanders. The Brotherhood soldiers began setting up defensive positions all around the Purifier, because they knew they were about to come under attack.
Across the river Lost Hills commanders were arriving. "Yes General, all units are in position now." A Lost Hills Knight Commander told his leader over the radio.
"Good. Commander Arnolds I want you to test their defenses. Let's see how strong that energy field really is. Have every tank and howitzer you have unleash hell and see if we can break through! If they can't penetrate that dome go to plan B."
"Understood sir." The Knight Commander complied.
"One more thing Commander; if one shell or missile hits that building or anything that is vital to the Purifier, you will join Lyons' Brotherhood in a firing line! I DON'T want to see any damage to the Purifier, understood?" Marshes threatened menacingly.
The Knight Commander gulped in fear. Even though General Marshes wasn't there in person, he was still just as intimidating. "Yes General." Arnolds switched the radio frequency. "Attention all artillery and tank commanders fire at will!"
Seconds later, every tank and howitzer at the Citadel and Rivet City fired a barrage of shells at the energy dome that surrounded the friendly Brotherhood forces. Everyone looked on in awe as the shells exploded against the energy barrier.
Paladin Jensen, commander of Purifier security had gathered Paladins Tristan, Bael, Hoss, as well as Knight Finley and Knight Sergeant Wilks.
"Wilks I want you and Finley to move up the platform and hold off any forces coming from Rivet City, Hoss you and Bael watch the bridge…" He paused looking around for Head Scribe Rothchild. "Has anyone seen Rothchild?" Everyone shook their heads no in response. "Alright, Tristan you're with me, the rest of you get to your battle stations!"
As the others moved to their combat positions, Tristan and Jensen walked in the memorial to look for Rothchild. They checked the lobby and Bigsley's office before entering the rotunda. The Head Scribe was standing in the control room of Project Purity. The two Paladins walked up the stairs.
"Rothchild, it's no longer safe here. We can get you out through the underground tunnel." Jensen said.
Rothchild didn't bother turning around. He pressed a few buttons on the console. Immediately after, everyone heard as the Purifier began to power down.
Rothchild turned around and looked to Jensen. "I'm not going anywhere Jensen. If you're staying so am I." He said adamantly.
Tristan and Jensen were shocked. "But sir-" Rothchild cut off Jensen as he tried to speak.
"But nothing Paladin! I've watched too many young men and women give their lives for the Purifier and the good of the wasteland. I refuse to hide like a coward. If we go, we go together." By the sound of his voice, Jensen could tell that Rothchild was going to remain firm on his decision.
"Yes sir." Both Paladins saluted the Head Scribe. "It's been an honor sir."
Rothchild returned the salute before turning back to the console. Jensen and Tristan left to regroup with their Brothers and Sisters outside. Jensen ran into Bigsley's office to grab a Gatling laser.
For five minutes, five long, suspenseful minutes the shelling continued. Back across the river Commander Arnolds looked through his binoculars and could tell that the shield was weakening. Any minute now it would deactivate and they would be able to attack, but the Knight Commander got a call on the radio from two different artillery units.
"Commander Arnolds we're almost out of shells." One artillery commander said.
"This is unit two; we're running low on ammo over." The other said.
Commander Arnolds cursed before picking up the radio. "All units cease fire, repeat cease fire!" He ordered. Seconds later the shelling stopped and once the smoke cleared everyone could see that not one shell had made it through the energy field. Arnolds growled with a mixture of anger and disappointment. "Time for Plan B."
On the patrol boats that surrounded the Jefferson Memorial, Commander Bennett and his SEALs were relieved that the energy shield was able to hold up against the enemy artillery, but they had a feeling this fight wasn't over just yet.
A platoon of Lost Hills soldiers in salvaged Hellfire armor came running from the parking lot near the broken bow of Rivet City. They began digging a hole next to one of the pylon's to the south of the Purifier.
Commander Bennett was baffled by their actions. "What the fuck are they doing?" His fellow SEALs were just as confused.
"Ok that's deep enough. Set the charges!" A Paladin ordered.
Two more soldiers started setting C-4 charges in the hole. That's when Commander Bennett realized what they were doing. They were going to blow a hole underneath the pylon so it would fall into the crater and it would cause the rest of the pylons to shut down. "Shit."
"Alright, the charges have been set, clear out!" The soldiers all ran to take cover and Commander Bennett and his men ducked down in their patrol boats to avoid the shockwave the blast would let off.
"FIRE IN THE HOLE!" The Paladin shouted as he triggered the explosives.
The explosion sent fragments of rock and stone flying for over a half a mile. Commander Bennett peaked up over the side of the boat and his predictions came to fruition. The pylon came crashing down in the crater and fell into the water, narrowly missing the Commander's boat.
"LOOK OUT!" The SEAL Commander shouted as the pylon nearly crushed them while water splashed into the boat.
The SEALs all looked up and saw as the pylons started shutting down one by one. The bridge that leads to the Purifier had over a hundred enemy soldiers waiting to attack. Coming from the abandoned super mutant camp was a dozen more soldiers and to the South were the soldiers in Hellfire armor. The members of Lyons' Brotherhood were completely surrounded.
When the last of the energy field had shut down the friendly Brotherhood soldiers were about to give the enemy their all, but several enemy snipers across the Potomac wouldn't give them that chance. The snipers all opened fire, taking out the Gutsies and Sentries, and killing fifteen of the thirty Brotherhood soldiers at the Purifier. Two of the Soldiers killed were Paladin Bael and Paladin Hoss
To the East on the platform of the memorial, Knight Finley and Knight Sergeant Wilkes, both armed with miniguns that were loaded with armored piercing bullets opened fire on the soldiers attacking from the abandoned super mutant killing several of them. The remaining soldiers took cover behind boulders and debris and opened fire on the troops to the South and on the bridge.
On the observation deck at the top of the bridge tower of Rivet City a sniper aimed down his scope until he had Knight Finley's visor in his sights. The sniper fired a single round. The bullet missed the visor, but still pierced his helmet, causing his head to jolt back before falling forward over the railing and into the tidal basin.
Wilkes made the mistake of looking to see if Finley was ok. The surviving soldiers they had engaged came out from behind their cover and fired several bolts of plasma into the Knight Sergeant. Wilkes had taken several rounds to the torso when another plasma bolt hit him, this time in the right leg. The limb had liquefied into a puddle of goo and the Knight Sergeant had fallen down the ramp that leads up the platform. His body rolling down the ramp until it hit the dirt.
The soldiers that set the explosives started attacking from where they destroyed the pylon. Two Brotherhood Knights were guarding the field hospital set up outside and immediately opened fire on the rogue Brotherhood soldiers with marksman carbines, effectively dropping five of them. They kept firing on the Hellfire armor clad troops, but two snipers across the Potomac fired at the Knights. The first Knight's head was blown completely off his shoulders while the second Knight was hit in the side his helmet, scrambling his brains.
The Paladin leading the soldiers in salvaged Enclave armor looked inside the tent and saw all the wounded wastelanders, mainly women and children.
"Well what do you know? It's a field hospital." The Paladin said as he palmed an incendiary grenade. "It would be inhumane if we left these people to suffer." He said with an evil smile.
Two more soldiers had an incendiary grenade in their hands. The three pulled the pins and tossed the grenades inside, setting the tent and everyone inside ablaze.
Commander Bennett and his SEALs could hear the agonizing screams of women and children as they were being burned alive and it made them sick to their stomachs that they couldn't do anything to stop it from happening.
The SEALs then heard someone's voice over their helmet radios. "Boat gunners you got three fuckers trying to run, take them out!"
Commander Bennett looked to the Southeast and saw three Brotherhood Knights; one of them severely wounded trying to get away from the enemy's assault. The SEAL who manned the light machine gun on the boat looked to his Commander, as if asking what he should do.
The Navy SEAL Commander moved his man out of the way, got on the gun and fired several rounds at the retreating soldiers. All three of them were taken down, but to makes sure they were dead, Commander Bennett fired several more rounds for good measure.
Some of the SEALs looked to Bennett with complete shock, but the Commander didn't let what he did get to him…yet. If they were going to maintain their cover amongst the enemy and not blow their plan of attack, they had to do whatever it took… The real reason why he alone killed those Knights was because he didn't want his men to be burdened by the guilt of killing friendly forces. If anyone was going to live with that guilt it was going to be him, not his men.
All remaining Brotherhood forces were gunned down and as the invading force was about to storm inside the Jefferson Memorial, Paladin Jensen came out running, firing his gatling laser at a squad of soldiers reducing most to ashes. He turned around and opened fire on the Hellfire troops, decapitating the Paladin and burning down four others before receiving two plasma bolts to the back followed by a sniper hitting him in the left shoulder.
The Paladin refused to back down; he continued firing at the soldiers in Hellfire armor, killing four more soldiers before taking two more sniper rounds to the right leg. One of the rounds shattered his kneecap, bringing him to his knees, but he still refused to give in. He drew his plasma pistol and fired three shots, killing a Knight. He was ready to kill another when he felt the barrel of a plasma rifle press against the back of his head.
Jensen closed his eyes and waited for the inescapable death, but he didn't care. He'd been given his second chance thanks to Eric. If it wasn't for him, he would've died at the hands of Talon Company. At least now he got to go out fighting.
"You're a real pain in the ass." A menacing voice said as a bolt of plasma burned a hole in Jensen's head, instantly killing him. The soldier removed his power helmet and revealed his identity…it was General Marshes.
The Lost Hills General led his troops into the building and had three of his men search the gift shop area. As they were about to enter Bigsley's office, Paladin Tristan came out from the restrooms and fired a single bolt of plasma at each soldier, scoring a headshot on all of them. Tristan ran out of the room for the rotunda. Marshes came walking into the lobby and fired three .44 magnum rounds into the Paladin's back.
Tristan clenched his teeth and growled in pain, but didn't go down. He turned around and fired his plasma rifle until the microfusion cell was empty. Marshes smiled in amusement as most of the plasma bolts flew around him, but he didn't expect the last one to fly right at his head.
Marshes only had enough time to raise his right arm up to block the shot. His arm took the brunt of the bolt, but a little bit of plasma hit him in the face right over his left eye. Since the left eye was already blind, it didn't do much damage except leave second degree burns.
Marshes was murderous. He raised his .44 magnum and fired the remaining three rounds into Paladin Tristan's head, causing it to explode into several pieces.
Inside the control room of Project Purity, Head Scribe Rothchild listened as the sounds of gunfire stopped. He knew it was only a matter of minutes before Marshes' men came storming into the room. He also knew that if they let him live they would torture him until he revealed the code to restart the Purifier. Not wanting the Purifier to fall into the hands of Marshes, he pulled a 9mm pistol out of his robe, placed the barrel against his left temple and pulled the trigger. The bullet went through the other side of his head along with his brains. His last thoughts were of Eric and how he hoped that he managed to get help.
Minutes later, Marshes and several of his men came walking into the room. Marshes proceeded up the stairs into the control room where he found Rothchild's lifeless body. The Lost Hills General scoffed. 'Cowards always take the easy way out.' He turned his attention to the control console that activated the Purifier and realized it wasn't running. That's when he knew why Rothchild shot himself. So he wouldn't reveal the code to activate it.
Marshes slammed his fist down on the console in anger. "DAMMIT!"
Outside on the patrol boats that surrounded the Jefferson Memorial, the men of SEAL Team 5 were livid. They were, livid, they were angry, and they felt guilty. They had a chance to save so many lives, yet they couldn't. Not unless they wanted to die with them or let the enemy know of the U.S. Military's presence.
Commander Bennett himself was angrier. He wanted to kill these bastards real bad, but for now. He would have to sit back and wait as more innocent people died. He took off his helmet, knelt down and grabbed his radio. "Master Chief, let General Wells know what happened."
"Yes sir."
The Master Chief switched radio channels. "Command this is Tiger Team. We've had a situation…"
U.S. Army Staging Area: June 12, 2279. 8:58 A.M.
"FUCK!" General Wells threw the radio across the tent with fury, startling some of the soldiers in the tent. His blood was boiling and he was shaking. He sat back down in his seat opening and clenching his knuckles repeatedly. This war against Marshes wasn't just about liberating the Capital Wasteland anymore, no…he wanted to put this motherfucker in his place, and he wanted to bury the Lost Hills Army.
Plus, he was feeling guilty for not being able to do anything to save the soldiers or innocent people that were at the Jefferson Memorial. He didn't know how he would be able to explain this to Lieutenant Smith, who would have to tell Eric. He vowed that he would now do whatever it took to put a stop to Marshes.
"General."
General Wells looked to one of his radio operators. "What is it Corporal?"
"Major Dallas and his men are in position awaiting your orders sir."
Major Dallas and his Recon Marines had landed five miles East of Rivet City where they would establish a secure zone for the Power Armored Marines that would invade. Once they secured that area, they were to head to Rivet City and take out all forces there.
"Give me the radio Corporal!" The Corporal handed him the radio. "Major Dallas this is General Wells, you've got a green light. Let's take back our ship!"
"Yes General." The Marine Major replied.
Andrew changed the channel on his radio so that he was talking to Rebirth. "Frank, come in." He said calling the Air Force Officer.
"Go ahead Andrew."
"How long until the Midwestern Brotherhood arrive to attack?"
"About three hours General."
"How many aircraft do you have combat ready?"
"The 7th Fighter Squadron, the 13th Bomb Squadron, and the Marine Corps attack squadron…why?"
"Try and get more aircraft battle ready and get the next wave of troops ready to fly! We attack at 1200 hours."
"What about the Hellfire?" The Air Force General asked.
"It'll be destroyed by the time we begin our attack."
"Understood."
"Wells out." Andrew said giving the radio back to the Corporal.
"You wanted to see us General?" A voice said from behind.
The General turned around and saw Rangers Lieutenant Grady Walker and Second Lieutenant Jason Thompson standing at attention."
"Yes." Andrew replied standing up from his seat. "I have a mission for you. You two and your men are the most qualified for it, but keep in mind though it is very dangerous."
"We're up to it sir." Lieutenant Grady said determinedly as his second-in-command nodded in agreement.
"Good. Your mission is to wipe out a next generation anti-aircraft defense system on top of the Washington Monument. It's designated Hellfire. We are going to launch our assault in three hours and as long as that thing is operational it will cause hell for our flyboys. We need it down before we attack."
"We'll get it done sir."
"Good luck Rangers. Dismissed!"
The Rangers saluted the General before doing an about-face and leaving the tent to get their job done.
General Wells sat back down in his seat and prepared for the upcoming assault. Marshes made the mistake of pissing him off. The rogue Brotherhood General had decided to hit these innocent people where it hurt. Now it was America's turn to hit them back!"
Remember to leave a like or a review...or both. Constructive criticism is always welcome. NCRMC signing off for now.