"He's waking up." A voice said, muffled by a hazmat suit helmet. Footsteps quickly followed. "Brainwaves are stable again. Looks like our patient is finally coming out if his coma." The man in question was inside a cylindrical tube, immersed in fluid. As his eyes slowly opened, he could make out certain shapes as several of them passed by his, for the lack of a better word, tank. He felt sore, more sore than he ever felt before. His muscles and bones practically hummed at him. As he began to gain control of his body and mind, he noticed his surroundings. He was under water. At first, he panicked. Soothing voices calmed his mind as the people outside the tank noticed his sudden flailing.
The man could still breathe. Wait, breathe? Underwater? That didn't make any sense. He noticed then a mouthpiece was fitted to his head, allowing him to breathe. His eyes focused slowly as he took in more of his surroundings. He was in some kind of lab, though he wasn't sure who it belonged to. Then, among the muffled voices thanks to the tank, he heard one sentence clearly. "Get the Colonel, he'll want to speak to our patient once he's out of the tank."
Colonel? What Colonel? His mind was hazy at best. Before he could ponder on this more, a loud buzzing sound was heard from outside the tank, followed by the water or whatever it was being drained through the floor of the tank. As the liquid reached a level to where he wasn't floating anymore he tried to stand, only for his legs to fail him. He felt weak and his inability to stand proved as much. The last thing he saw when upright was a door directly in front of the tank opening. Then, more voices came, no longer distorted by the water as well as the thick glass. "Colonel, it's good to see you. As you can see, our patient is finally awake."
Patient? Whose patient was he? Who was this man and why did they address him as 'Colonel' and for what reason did they take him on as a patient?
"Is he aware of his surroundings? Is he lucid?" The new voice came, the Colonel's voice.
"Yes sir. According to the brainwaves he's completely lucid right now, though I can't say for sure whether or not anything will make sense to him right now. We've yet to figure out what all he remembers." The same voice as the first. He must be the one in charge of the lab, and the Colonel must be in charge of him.
More footsteps. He tried to raise his head, but he couldn't move it much. There wasn't much strength in his body at all, it seemed. He laid there on the floor of the tank in the fetal position, the breathing mask still firmly attached. From his slightly altered position, he could see the feet of the people in the lab. All but one of them had clean suits on. He figured that the Colonel must be the pair of boots.
"Alright. Finish up here and have him in a wheelchair before I get back. I need to prepare to speak to him."
"Yes sir, Colonel."
Suddenly, he felt very tired. He could feel his body and mind succumbing to sleep once more.
A loud moan escaped Sarah's lips as she descended down Michael's erect member. It had been months since the last time they had been together. Sarah could feel his hands on her hips, gripping her, pulling her further down. She knew he would have moaned as well, but his face was currently buried in Reilly's cunt. Reilly faced Sarah, allowing them both to explore each other's bodies with their hands as they were on top of Michael.
It wasn't the first time they had done sexual things together, though Michael's presence did make it a first as they had never been with each other and a man before. It was also a first for Michael, who had never been with two women at once. In fact, he'd only been with three women total.
A loud sigh escaped Sarah's mouth as she finally got the last few inches of Michael's cock inside of her. He filled her so completely, so perfectly. For a few moments, she did nothing but sit there, trying to once more adjust to the feeling of something so massive being inside of her. Michael wasn't her first, but he put those who came before him to absolute shame. Then, she started to move. She heard as he had to pause pleasuring Reilly to let out a groan.
Her eyes traveled from where his face was, up Reilly's perfectly taut, hairless body, over the mounds of her breasts, and finally looked her in the eyes. Neither of them felt anything but love for the other in that moment. They came together then, their lips connecting and tongues colliding. A series of gasps, moans, and groans filled the room as they all began to move together.
It wasn't long before Sarah's first orgasm struck. Reilly's whispers of encouragement further sped the process up. Her legs shook, her tight, moist walls clamped down on Michael's cock, and she cried out in absolute bliss. She opened her eyes just in time to see Reilly smiling at her before the redhead's first orgasm of the night hit. Michael's face became drenched in her juices as she squeezed her thighs around his head. Were he a lesser man, his head might have been crushed. Of course, if he were a lesser man he wouldn't have these two lovely ladies as company.
It wasn't long until a change in position was called for, as Michael had yet to cum. Sarah quickly found herself under Reilly's body facing the opposite direction, looking upward as Michael got into position behind her. The Sentinel had a perfect view of the joining. She watched in wonder as he pressed the head against Reilly's opening and pushed. She could see the Ranger's cunt stretch to accommodate such a large object as it finally broke through, and was further amazed as a seemingly endless length pushed into the woman above her. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he was fully sheathed inside. A long, drawn-out moan came from the redhead as she was once more filled with Michael's cock.
That's when she felt a pair of lips and a tongue on her clit, courtesy of Reilly. Reilly felt Sarah return the favor when she felt a tongue at her and Michael's joining. Then, Michael started to move. He was slow and gentle at first, fully aware of his size, but quickly picked up the pace. Soon enough, he was pistoning in and out of her with almost his entire length, leaving only the head inside. She could feel every inch, every slight bump, every blood-filled vein as it repeatedly filled her again and again. Each time he slammed home, she could feel the tip poke at the entrance to her womb, causing her to cry out in pleasure.
It wasn't long until Reilly was cumming again thanks to both Michael and Sarah. This time however Michael also came, filling her tight depths with his hot, sticky essence. There was so much that it leaked out around his cock, which Sarah greedily took for herself. Reilly slumped forward, her rear end still in the air, pulling herself off of Michael's cock. Once his entire length left her Sarah's tongue replaced it, searching for more of the delicious fluid.
Sarah positioned herself behind Reilly in nearly the same position as her, wiggling her hips at Michael, who she knew would still be hard. For a moment she had to stop eating Reilly out to cry out as Michael filled her pussy once more, grabbing her hips and pushing in roughly. After all, she did like it rough as much as she like it gentle.
He woke up in a small, dark, metal room. Clearly, he was in some kind of underground bunker. He was also in a wheelchair that had seen better days. The air was stagnant and smelled of metal. Across from him was a desk, which looked to be in much better condition than the room itself. In fact, everything on the desk was in pristine condition. Pens, documents, a terminal, and even a tri-fold pre-war American flag in a wood and glass case.
The sound of a hydraulic door opening caused him to turn his head. A man walked into the room, cloaked in a heavy looking tan trenchcoat, under which was a dark uniform. Clearly, he was part of some military. What military he didn't know. His mind was still foggy, as if his entire memory was jumbled. He sincerely hoped that this man could tell him what the hell was going on.
"I see you're awake" the man, known only by his rank of Colonel, said. "I hope you're not too uncomfortable. Things have been fragmented around here lately" The Colonel sat down in his seat, pouring a glass of fresh, clean water and handing it to him. The image of clean water caused some images to flash in his mind, but it was gone as quickly as it came.
He drank from the glass greedily. He felt like he hadn't had a drink or meal for years. "I'll have some food delivered in a bit. Firstly, I imagine you have some questions."
He nodded. There were a lot of questions he wanted to ask. Where was he? Who is this man? Where did this clean water come from? What kind of situation was he in? Why was he in that tank?
All of those questions were pushed aside, though. What good would knowing these things do him if he didn't know who he was? He didn't even know his own name, much less his own identity as a person. In a rough voice, he managed to croak out his question. "Wh- Who am I?"
It was quick, but he could have sworn he saw a flash of a smile on the Colonel's face, before it morphed into a deep frown. "You don't remember? The people in the lab told me you would remember everything."
He shook his head. "No. I can tell my memories are in there. I just don't remember them. I don't assume you know, do you?" If this Colonel didn't know who he was, he was in trouble. He didn't know why, but he knew.
"You're in luck, I do know. In fact, we actually know each other quite well. You honestly don't remember, do you?"
Seeing him shake his head, the Colonel continued. "I'll start from the day we met and see if it jogs your memory. We first met in Pittsburgh, though the locals call it The Pitt. You were about to be executed by some terribly evil men in Power Armor."
Pittsburgh. The Pitt. Power Armor. These words meant something to him, but he didn't know why. Pieces to a puzzle, but no box art of the final product. His head hurt. He shut his eyes tightly, trying to listen as the Colonel continued.
"It was you and your wife, actually" Wife? He had a wife? Yes. He knew. He was married. What was her name? More importantly, where was she? "We were there to liberate the area from these evil people. We managed to save you, but not before they had already executed your wife. I'm sorry."
His wife was gone? Yes. That sounded right. Still, it didn't hurt any less to hear it. "We did all we could. Your son didn't make it either. She was in labor and we tried to save her, but the shock was too much. He was a stillbirth." Son? He had a son? He was dead? His head throbbed as tears poured down his face.
"After we fought them back, we took you in. Fed and clothed you. In return, you helped us. You're a scientist, trained by humanity's best and brightest. You and your wife were both from the same place. You came out into the world to help, just like us."
Yes. Bits of his memory was coming back. He saw flashes of bright, white light. A huge central chamber with an elevator in the middle. Clean water and food. Cut off from the rest of the world. He went out with a team to study the open world. To help the people who were plagued by radiation.
"Unfortunately, no good deed goes unpunished. Somehow, they followed us to the Capital. Washington D.C. We were just days away from activating what you called Project Purity. It was supposed to supply an endless amount of pure, fresh water to the Wasteland. They came in on their Vertibirds and fought us."
Project Purity. Vertibirds. Capital. Washington D.C. More and more of his memory was coming back. He remembered the feeling of being so close to finishing his largest task and falling ever so short.
"We couldn't get to you in time. You locked yourself in the Antechamber with one of their leaders. You activated some kind of safety protocol you designed in case of that very situation. The Antechamber became filled with a lethal dose of radiation. We managed to break in and retrieve you, but not before the effects were already set in. For the past three years, you've been in that tank, recovering. We weren't sure if you would make it."
He remembered. The code was supposed to be 2-1-6. He input the wrong code, prompting the chamber to fill with radiation. He could remember another face, but he wasn't sure where it came from. A face that looked at him with extreme grief.
"In that time, we've been pushed back quite a bit. These evil men in their Power Armor have managed, despite our superior technology, to nearly destroy our organization. We struck one major blow against them, but it wasn't enough. Now, time is running out. It won't be long until they find this place. They destroyed Raven Rock. They destroyed our Landcrawler. Our structure fragmented, and we've had several other interior factions trying to control what happens to us."
The Colonel took a drink from his own glass of water, clearly deep in thought.
Suddenly, the man grabbed his head, screaming out. A flood of memories came back to him. His wife. Traveling from one coast to the other. Pittsburgh. Washington D.C. His wife entering labor, her sounds betraying their hidden position. The men in Power Armor finding them. Trying to reason with them, only for them to execute her. Another group of people in Power Armor stopping them, driving them back. His work on his wife's dream. Project Purity. His name.
He looked up to see the Colonel kneeling by his side. "I remember." He said in a shaky voice. "I remember everything."
He looked up into the Colonel's face, seeing a brief flash of worry before a smile crept onto his face. "Good. Let's get you well again and we can plan on what to do next."
"Thank you, Augustus. I have an idea of where we can start once I get some strength back into my limbs."
"You're quite welcome, James. We all await the day we can go to war with the Brotherhood of Steel on even footing."
The Colonel, Augustus, left the room. Outside, the head scientist of the lab was waiting. "Sir? Was it a success?"
Augustus turned to him, smiling cruelly. "It was. As far as he is concerned, we're his saviors, the Brotherhood are the enemy, and his son was a stillbirth. Absolutely no memory of that accursed Wanderer. I suspect very soon we'll be ascended beyond the strength of the Enclave at it's prime."
In room 6, the room connected to room 7 which was only separated by a wall, it's occupants were having trouble getting to sleep. Because they had just liberated the fort from Talon, Vargas felt it was best for people to shack up in the same room in case any Talon mercenaries came back and got into the fort somehow. Before they could get a word in edgewise, Colvin and Dusk were the only two left.
As the rest of the two separate groups noticed both Reilly and Sarah gone shortly after Michael left, they were smart to pick the rooms further away from room 7, which The Wanderer said he'd be taking. This left the rest of the rooms taken, sparing room 6. Because of it's close proximity to room 7 and the lack of proper sound muffling between rooms, the sounds from room 7 bled easily and freely into room 6.
At first, it was funny. Both Colvin and Dusk found it hilarious. But when it came time to sleep, Colvin taking the couch, it became awkward. The room got extremely quiet, allowing more of the sounds from the adjacent room to flow through the thin wall. Soon enough, though, Colvin became aware of a very faint, almost liquid noise coming from the bed. Due to his near constant head entrapment within his Power Armor's helmet, he could also hear the quiet but heavy breathing coming from from Dusk. The room was dark, so it was nigh impossible to see any movement without a light.
Colvin's eyes widened to hilarious proportions, almost bulging out of his head. 'Don't. Don't you dare. Don't even fucking think about it, you big dumb bastard' He yelled to himself within his mind as he felt his member begin to spring to life.
"Dusk, are you touching yourself?" Colvin whispered, trying to resist the urge to slam his head into a table for being stupid enough to ask.
The room became silent once again, save for the sounds coming through the wall, a series of moans and grunts finding their way through the thin material. For a fleeting moment, Colvin both thought and wished that Dusk would pretend to be asleep to save them both some embarrassment.
"Yes."
That did it. He was at full attention in his shorts, almost vibrating. He'd never admit it, but he found Dusk to be very attractive and even fun to be around despite their little rivalry. Over the past few years he'd developed romantic feelings for her, though he was sure nothing would come of it. Before his mind could catch up, his mouth started once again.
"You don't have to stop. Not if you don't want to. I won't tell."
There were a few more moments of relative silence before the noises from Dusk resumed, though comparatively much less quiet this time around. Colvin shut his eyes, trying to respect Dusk while simultaneously wondering what she looked like while she got herself off. Of course he had seen her naked, the Brotherhood having little in the way of privacy, but it hadn't been in a sexual way before. At least, not while they were both sober.
"You can, too. If you want to. Or need to. I won't say anything." Dusk's voice came clear over the noises coming through the wall. His heart nearly stopped beating in his chest, though her next words were even more shocking. "If you want.. I can.. I can.."
"No. That's a bad idea. Don't mind me. Just finish up and sleep." Colvin tried not to sound like he was disgusted with the idea. He definitely wasn't. Although there were no regulations against it, and even a few encouraging it, he felt that any romantic interaction between members within a squad could break unit cohesion.
"Yeah. You're right. Sorry." Dusk actually sounded fairly bitter and Colvin realized that perhaps he wasn't the only one with romantic feelings for the other. "You like listening to me, don't you?"
'Fuck. Yes.'
Colvin kept his mouth shut however, feeling it's done enough harm for the night. Instead, he grunted in a reply. For some reason, that caused Dusk to grunt in a very different manner. Through the wall, they could both hear that The Wanderer was going at it again.
Michael was laid down in the bed, a redhead on his right and a blonde on his left. All of them were sweating and breathing fairly heavily after their rigorous activity. None of them felt awkward or weird about it. To them, it just felt right. Though, there were questions floating around in their minds. As if he were reading those minds, Michael spoke. "So.. What now?"
They both knew what he meant. It was a loaded question with so few words. They both knew that The Wanderer was, three years ago, straight out of a Vault. This meant he knew next to nothing about how romance worked above-ground. In all his years of travel, they figured he still didn't know much on the subject, despite knowing some of the Wasteland's most intimate, dark secrets.
Sarah decided to be the one to speak. "Well, I guess that depends."
Michael rolled his head, looking at her. "Depends on what?"
"On what you want," Reilly said, picking up where Sarah left off. "Neither of us will likely find a better man anywhere on this planet. I think I can speak for both of us when I say that you're the best man we've ever known and neither of us want to give you up."
Sarah nodded, agreeing with Reilly. There was no doubt about it. She had already told him long ago that she'd wait for him forever. "So where does that leave us, then? Romance isn't exactly something I'm very well versed in." He said, staring up at the metal ceiling.
It was true. Aside from Reilly and Sarah, Michael had only been with one other woman. Amata. That was a long time ago, though. To him, it seemed like a lifetime ago. He was a different person then. A hand grasping his still-hard cock roused him from the short, depressing thoughts.
"Well, I'm not too sure about that." Reilly said, lightly tugging on his member "I'd say you've done just fine so far."
This brought out a hearty chuckle from all three of them. Even still, she wasn't wrong. He knew that he had somehow, despite nearly everything working against him, captured the hearts of the two greatest women he's ever known. He just wasn't sure where to go from here.
"Truthfully" Sarah began, her hand finding a place on top of Reilly's, both of them grasping and tugging on him at once "Polygamy and polyamory isn't as rare as you might think. It's generally accepted among society these days."
Reilly picked up where she left off, almost like they had planned this. "In this kind of world, where the weak and stupid have an almost infinite ways to get killed early on in life, it only leaves the stronger and smarter men. Because of that, as I'm sure you've seen, there's a fairly large disparity in the genders when it comes to numbers."
Michael nodded. He knew that there were more women than men out there, likely due to the old adage of men being the breadwinners of society, providing for their family. In this day and age, providing for your family was usually a dangerous task.
"While there's still a lot of women who would never share a man with others, the ratio is so skewered and it's not entirely uncommon for two, three, or even more women to share a single man." Sarah said, stopping her speech to kiss his collar bone.
"Usually it's sisters, or women who have known each other for a long time who end up sharing. I'm sure you've met a few of these little harems out there in the Wasteland." Reilly said, mirroring Sarah's actions.
He had. Dukov was one example of such a situation. In the past three years during the times he's visited the old drunk bastard, he's seen his little stable of women grow fairly large. During his conversations with the women, it was clear that they weren't there against their will. In fact, they chose to be with him. During his quest which resulted in his donation of T-51b Power Armor to the Brotherhood, which Paladin Glade wore, Dukov traded his key to the bunker in which the Power Armor resided in exchange for him taking Cherry to Rivet City, as she wished to go separate ways.
Due to Reilly and Sarah's attention to his cock, he felt his lust rising once again. His hands found their way to the girls' clits, repaying them for their service. Two near-simultaneous moans came from the girls before Sarah continued the conversation. "We spoke about it while you were inside playing 'hide-and-seek' with Talon mercenaries. We're perfectly content sharing so long as you'll have us."
Sarah paused, closing her eyes and wiggling her hips to help speed up Michael's slow, torturous stimulation. The Wanderer smiled, saying "Does this mean you two are my harem?" Though he never thought about such things, he couldn't deny the excitement behind the idea. Plus, he already felt that he was bound to these two women in both heart and soul, and that this made it possible for him to one day ask for their hands in marriage together, instead of being forced to choose one or neither.
Due to Sarah's groans preventing her from answering, Reilly answered for her, already having discussed this with her prior to this night's activities. "Yes and no. The two of us are most definitely not the only ones pining after you, and we expect that there will definitely be more in the future. So long as you agree, we've decided that we'll all have to pick and choose who ends up joining us, if anyone at all."
This came as a surprise. To him, it was an entirely foreign concept to be romantically involved at all, much less with multiple women. Still, he realized the meaning behind her words. "So, you're both giving me the green light to sleep with and eventually wed other women?"
Both Sarah and Reilly paused at his words. Although there had been no mention of actual marriage, it was something they both wanted with him. Reilly squeezed his arm tight in a sign of affection, where as Sarah took him into a deep kiss.
After breaking from the kiss, Sarah answered his question. "Something like that. We both want to be involved with choosing who you end up taking along with us, but neither of us feel like we have to control you. You know what you want and you're smart enough to tell when someone just wants to fuck as opposed to someone who loves you."
Michael kissed her again, never once stopping his ministrations on either woman. They held an incredible amount of trust in him. He didn't want to let them down, ever. He wasn't the type to fuck anything female on two legs, but their words told him that even if that was what he was like, they would trust him still.
Suddenly, a thought popped into his head. Children. He never thought about it before. He hadn't once pulled out. What if they end up pregnant? Could he handle that? Could they? Reilly, as if reading his mind, calmed his worries by saying "Don't worry. One of the many things left over from before the war is Birth Control. You don't have to worry about us getting barefoot and pregnant any time soon."
Michael exhaled in a sign of relief. He had never thought about it before. Did he even want a child? If so, could he handle more than one? These questions fell to the wayside when Reilly climbed on top of him, quickly sinking her wet folds down on top of his already lubricated cock. He groaned in appreciation as her tight walls squeezed him. "I took a morning-after pill a few hours after our first time together. After that I went back on the standard Birth Control." She said, slowly rising and falling on his extremely stiff member.
This brought great relief to his mind. He wasn't ready to be a father yet. In the future, maybe. But not now. Not wanting Sarah to feel left out, he tugged on her hand, signaling her to climb on top of him. Getting the idea quickly, she smirked as she positioned herself over his face and moaned out in approval when his tongue flicked her clit and reached into her folds.
They all made love several more times that night, bringing out six more orgasms from Michael, seven from Reilly, and nine from Sarah. The combination of their lust only further fueled them individually. Were Sarah and Reilly not already exhausted from the day's fighting, it might have gone on indefinitely. They were completely unaware of the sound of their coupling bleeding into the next room, keeping it's occupants awake and in a constant state of arousal, much like they were themselves.
Around a large, metal table, the scientists responsible for reviving James were looking up to Colonel Augustus Autumn as he prepared to deliver his speech. It was a small team of six, three on either side of the table. "Gentlemen," Colonel Autumn began "Today marks the date the Enclave stop this descent into irrelevance. That is all thanks to you. You not only managed to practically bring James back from the dead, but we successfully implanted false memories into his brain which makes him think we have always been his allies."
The project had expended a vast amount of manpower, time, and resources. They all felt good about it finally being complete, and it succeeding. "We've come a long way. You've all sacrificed much, and had things taken from you by The Wanderer. Soon, though, we'll all have our revenge."
A series of mutters and words of approval rang out from the six people responsible for reviving and brainwashing James. The Wanderer had taken a lot from them all. Out of all the current fractured Enclave factions, they were the smallest. It was them, The Colonel, some foot soldiers which weren't aware of who James was, and James himself, who was even less aware of who he truly was. "I propose a toast" he said, raising his glass of alcohol "To the future, where better, brighter days await us all!"
A loud chorus of 'Cheers' rang out and they all drank their respective glasses of alcohol. All but the Colonel. The effects were nearly immediate. They looked to each other as their vision became distorted. The head scientist, closest to the Colonel, looked to the only man who hadn't taken a drink. "Why?"
Then, his head hit the table with a loud thump. He was dead, as was the rest of his team. The only one left alive who knew the true identity of James was the Colonel, who then smiled a cruel smile. Yes, the Enclave would rise again. But nobody could be allowed to jeopardize the mission. That's why they had to die. They couldn't be trusted to go without making a mistake when speaking to James. He wouldn't allow it. They had already botched his memory twice before. It was pure luck that they didn't screw it up this time.
The Colonel called in the foot soldiers to dispose of the bodies. Then, he gathered the meal he had prepared for James and put on a warm, welcoming face for the one man he hated more than The Wanderer, taking his meal to him. The Wanderer would pay. His father would become his pawn, and in the end, when The Wanderer is beaten and broken, as much as he wishes to be the one to pull the trigger to end his pathetic life, it will be so much sweeter to watch his father be the one to execute him.
Revenge would be his, and it would be sweet.
"So, what's the plan?" Vargas asked, stretching his arms above his head, not used to sleeping on such soft beds.
The following morning, both Rangers and Brotherhood gathered back in the Mess Hall to discuss what the plan was now that Talon has been taken care of and, technically, the Pride's mission to find and assist The Wanderer was over.
Colvin and Dusk had gotten to the table later than everyone else, clearly not having slept well. Pepper, who was with both Mason and James at the far end of the row of rooms, asked why Colvin and Dusk looked like shit. Before Dusk could find a cover story for them, Colvin opened his 'big fat mouth' and said they couldn't sleep because of all the noise, which Dusk responded to by smacking him and the occupants of room 7 to blush, not having known the walls were so thin.
However, James was as naive as he was unsubtle, and he asked what noise the Knight Captain was referring to, stating that it's usually pretty quiet in the fort when it's 'lights out' and their room was far enough away that they couldn't possibly hear the relatively quiet noise caused by the fort's fusion generator that far away from it.
Of course, he was the only one who wasn't aware of what was going on in room 7, so he couldn't have possibly known what they were referring to. At least, that's what he claimed when Pepper had Mason take the boy aside and explain how much of an ass he just made of himself. That's when the question came out, as a way to clear the air and change topics.
Michael, Reilly, and Sarah had all showered together thanks to the large showers in the rooms and had spoken on the subject beforehand. "Reilly and I will be accompanying the Pride back to the Citadel. We've got to make a few stops, but I promise it won't take long."
"If you don't mind me asking, where all are we stopping?" Glade asked, hoping to know if they'd be stopping in Megaton or not. He'd been meaning to pay a visit to Megaton's eccentric shop owner, Moira Brown. She'd been working on something for him that he sent with the last supply run and was told via a letter that it was ready.
For a moment, Michael was silent. Because of this, nobody was sure if he was going to answer the question, something he had a habit of doing. "Our first stop will be Megaton. Some of my weapons require ammo that nobody from Talon seems to use, and I've got a bounty to collect on. Shouldn't take more than half an hour. After that we'll head to the Citadel to drop you guys off."
Vargas scowled at the way he said the last bit, making it sound like they were hapless children. However, he held his tongue. He knew better than to openly berate The Wanderer in front of Sarah, much less to the man's face.
"You said 'a few' stops. Megaton is only one. You going somewhere else after we reach the Citadel?" Kodiak asked, clearly interested in where The Wanderer might go next.
Michael nodded. "Reilly and I need to check on Theo and escort him back here. However, they need time to pack. During that time I need to head back to the Citadel and speak to Elder Lyons and Rothchild."
This piqued the attention from the rest of the group, half of which had previously been too busy eating breakfast to pay much attention to the conversation. "It's probably above my pay grade, but what're you gonna talk with the old fu- er, I mean Elder Lyons about?" Pepper asked, having to change his manner of speaking on the fly due to the present company of the Pride. Even still, he received some nasty looks for what he almost said.
However, all that faded away and was replaced with shock at what Michael said next. "I suppose you'll be some of the first to know, so it shouldn't hurt to tell you" He began, pausing to finish his water "I'll be offering the Brotherhood a few hundred complete sets of Power Armor, frame and all, some of which they've possibly never seen before, as well as the location to several of my personal safehouses for the Brotherhood to use at any time, all of which are stocked to the brim with supplies that can be taken when needed."
They sat there in stunned silence. Even when he told his plan to Sarah and Reilly, he never mentioned just how many sets of Power Armor he had. "I'll also include a fair amount of Laser and Plasma weaponry as well as some ammo."
A series questions came at him rapid-fire from those at the table, which he answered one by one. Vargas was wondering both why and how he had so many complete frames of power armor. Kodiak wanted to know just how many weapons he had and what this 'new type' of Power Armor was like. Dusk and Colvin asked when he was planning on revealing that he had such a vast amount of tech. James wanted to know if there would be any left over for them. Mason wanted to know why he was just giving it away.
First, Michael turned to Vargas. "We all know that the frames of Power Armor flash-weld themselves shut on operator death. However, all Power Armor comes equipped with a fairly robust computer system which allows ease of control for things like targeting systems, radio relay, and the transfer of auxiliary power between limbs."
"However, that system is inherently vulnerable due to the fact that they all, from what I can tell, use the same code. Because of that, and because of this-" he said, tapping the PiP-Boy on his arm "- I can interface with it because I've established a backdoor protocol into Rob-Co software. That's how I'm able to do this." He demonstrated his point by forcing Bolts to go into shutdown mode after a few moments of flipping the knobs and wheels of his PiP-Boy.
He then turned the heavily modified Sentry bot back on. "From what I can tell, even though Enclave Power Armor was developed after the bombs fell, they still use the same internal systems. This allows me to force the suits open, ejecting the operator. Then it's just a matter of hopping into the suit myself and taking it where I want."
They had heard the stories of how Enclave members would be randomly forced out of their Power Armor, but they never held any stock in those claims. Not until now. The idea itself was terrifying to the Brotherhood.
"There are three kinds of Power Armor. You all, or most of you know this. First, there's the kind that is all one suit, one piece. You're not able to swap out parts easily, and it's kind of a pain in the ass to repair. That's the kind the Enclave use. It's big, and bulky, and it's strong,, but once it's heavily damaged, it's pretty much a lost cause."
They knew this. The kinds of Power Armor he was talking about was the 'X' series of Power Armor. They had transported some suits, which the dead operator was stuck inside, to the Citadel to study, and found that it wasn't made to be fixed easily. Instead, it was designed to last, and last, and last, and if it was broken, replaced. Never fixed.
"Second, there's the large-frame Power Armor." He pointed to Glade's T-51b power Armor frame, which was clearly larger than the rest. "It's considered the pinnacle of Power Armor. Pre-War, anyways. Some models are slower than the third type, but it's generally much more rugged and fairly durable. It's easily modified and repaired, and you can swap out parts so long as they're for the 'large frame' type. The frame itself doesn't offer much protection, but the plating is thick and strong. It does, however, help mitigate broken legs if you jump from a high place."
Glade could attest to the claim that it was more durable. The T-51b power armor was incredible in all categories. Once, he even jumped from the roof of the Citadel into the courtyard on a dare in the Power Armor, and all he suffered was embarrassment as he failed to stick the landing, as well as latrine duty for a week when Sarah found out.
"Then, you have the light frame type, or the 'Recon' type." He pointed to the other sets of power armor, which were clearly smaller than the rest. "Funny enough, that type is the only kind my 'backdoor protocol' doesn't work on, since it doesn't have a quick-eject function. Instead, it has a 'purge exterior armor' function. It's lighter and weaker than the other two types, but it's also faster. The Recon suit itself works as fairly robust protection, but as you know you can further that protection by adding on 'light frame' Power Armor plating. Sure, it slows you down and hampers your mobility, but you're safer."
The Brotherhood was intimately familiar with both 'large frame' and 'small frame' Power Armor. Soon after they had captured the Citadel, they chose to outfit their troops with 'light frame' Power Armor as they didn't have enough spare parts to keep battling the Super Mutants with their 'large frame' Power Armor. This meant they still had some 'large frame' Power Armor in the basement of the Citadel, but since nearly every suit had been repaired multiple times, they didn't outfit anyone in it because they couldn't afford to risk the lives of their members. In fact, the only pristine condition T-51b suit they had was there in that very room.
While the Brotherhood had both small and large frame T-45 armor, the Pride preferred the light-frame. Although not nearly as robust or powerful, it was adequate and in an emergency they could purge the armor plating and make a quick getaway in Recon suit.
Michael then took on Kodiak's question, something that was much shorter to answer. "I have a massive amount of weaponry and ammo from all over. Some of it is pretty rare, and some of it is fairly common. As for the Power Armor, it's designated as 'T-60' and from what I've read on pre-war terminals, it was intended to be deployed to replace the large-frame T-45, but the bombs fell before they could be shipped. A few locations deployed their units locally to combat the riots in the streets, but most of it is in storage from what I know."
He sighed, remembering that even before the bombs fell the world wasn't nearly as nice as the lessons in the Vault taught when he was a child. "It's extremely similar to the T-45 in looks since it's designed by the same people, but it's mobility is a bit better and it's protection is only slightly less than T-51."
Michael looked to Dusk and Colvin, who were sitting unnaturally far apart, even for them and their rivalry, but didn't say anything on the matter, instead choosing to be direct in his answer. "Up until very recently, I've worked on a series of favors. Take one here, give one there. I never really needed any other favors from the Brotherhood, so I didn't have any reason to give it out. But I'm trying to change, and I'm going to be doing things differently. Hopefully, my trust here isn't betrayed."
Dusk and Colvin paled at that, as did the rest of the Brotherhood present. A betrayal of trust with The Wanderer might mean to make him an enemy, and they were all aware in that battle they wouldn't be the winner.
He then turned to James and Mason answering their questions together. "First off, yes. Even after this I'll have a vast amount of ammo and weapons, not counting what I've gathered these past few days, and a good bit of that will be going to our future recruits. Secondly, I'm not just giving it away. I'm arming my allies with something better than what they already have. You're going to have to get used to working with the Brotherhood, because like it or not I'm one of the people leading this group and they're my allies, even if I don't work with them often."
The second half of his answer came much more forceful, as a reminder of who he was. Mason audibly gulped, clearly regretting the way he phrased his question. Two days ago this man would have killed him in an unimaginably painful way, and now he was sitting across from him eating breakfast.
As James finished his meal, he looked to the Colonel for more answers. "How long was I in that tube? I feel like it's been more than a couple of years."
Colonel Autumn spoke carefully. "4 years. You woke up once or twice, but you weren't awake for very long. You were still in critical condition and we couldn't have you freaking out."
James sighed deeply. 4 years, gone. To him, it was almost like yesterday when his wife was brutally murdered by The Brotherhood of Steel and he held his dead child in his arms. The memory was still fresh and raw in his mind, and thinking about it brought great discomfort both physically and emotionally.
He remembered working on Project Purity. Working with scientists and engineers, though their faces were blurry in his mind. He remembered Colonel Autumn and the Antechamber. He remembered coming so close to completing his goal.
"What happened to Project Purity after you saved me?"
"From the reports, they got it working after repairing the damage, but not as intended. They poisoned the water somehow, and although clean, it sterilizes whoever drinks it for long. They wish to eradicate the population of all who they consider mutated to further horde technology. In a century, nobody but them will be left alive in the Capital. On top of it all, they don't give it freely. Instead, they charge for it."
James felt himself fill with rage. That was never the intent of the project. His wife's dream was to provide the wasteland with pure, clean water that would allow fresh, safe food to grow and plant life to once more take root. Pure water to drink and bathe in. All of this was to come freely. His hands clenched into fists and his rage caused him to shake. This wasn't how it was supposed to be.
"James" The Colonel's voice said in a soothing manner "I know the rage you feel. I felt it as the Enclave was systematically destroyed by the Brotherhood. We'll get our revenge, but I need your help to do it. You said you had a plan. What is it?"
Autumn's mention of his plan focused his mind and the rage took a back seat. He had to tell the Colonel the plan. "The Institute. It's time I head back to The Institute."
It was almost noon when The Wanderer, the Pride, and Reilly bade farewell to the rest of the Rangers, telling them to keep the fort secure, putting Donovan in charge until Michael and Reilly's return. They made their trek out into the Wasteland, heading for Megaton.
They were completely unaware of the coming storm.
A/N: There you have it, the first chapter of 2016. This was particularly hard to write due to the re-introduction of James and Colonel Autumn. I know what many of you are thinking. 'James is dead, and so is Colonel Autumn!' But are they? The body of The Wanderer's father was gone on the return trip to Project Purity. 'But what about Colonel Autumn?!' Ah, yes. Colonel Autumn. The final confrontation with him does mean that he dies (At least on my end) But as we all know, the Enclave employed a lot of reverse-engineered tech which was originally Alien. Who is to say that they didn't have cloning tech? Perhaps the Colonel who was in the antechamber with James was the original, and the one you meet the second time afterwards is a clone. It's not that far of a stretch.
'But what about The Institute? James didn't come from there!' Are you sure? Where would he have gotten all of his advanced training? He's much more articulated and intelligent than anyone else in the Wasteland. Perhaps that's because he isn't from 'The Wasteland' and instead hails from The Institute.
Either way, that's how I see it. As we get deeper into the story, you'll see a lot more of James and learn of his background. You'll also see more of his current best friend, Colonel Autumn. Maybe you've already seen the foreshadowing I've put into this story which will connect it to it's sequels.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you continue to stick around for the journey.
