Welcome to chapter 25. Here there be monsters from the past of all our characters. Quick note, just added a slightly updated portion of Chapter 24, explains where Clover and Charon went as I was asked about them after posting the initial chapter. Essentially Clover is with Bryan Wilks in Rivet City and Charon is delivering scrap metal to Underworld.

Chapter 25

The first thing Luther becomes aware of is a buzzing in his head. It is like static from a radio, or some sort of white noise. He can't place where it is, or which direction it is coming from. After the buzzing he notices that he is upright, but that his feet are not supporting his weight. The sensation is like what he imagines standing on water must feel like. Finally he realizes that he cannot move in any direction. He has just enough space to continue breathing, but that is all. He opens his eyes and is treated to a view of the inside of a confinement cell, the likes of which he is very familiar with. The pulsing blue energy fields just barely visible at the edges of his vision confirm his fears. He is being held prisoner by the Enclave.

Don't be surprised, you brought this upon us, after all. It is all your fault, again.

Just as he makes this conclusion, a door opens and through it steps a man from his past. Colonel Autumn. The man enters and stands in a relaxed military pose, the likes of which Luther hasn't stood at for years. "Hello again, Major. I see that your time spent in exile has only made you even more of a degenerate scumbag than you were before. Found at a site that is off limits to civilians, aiding in the construction of a bio weapon, associating with mutant creatures, all of these are serious charges, and all are added on top of your initial charge of being a traitor to your country."

Luther manages to smile, an expression that must be either very unexpected or very alarming as Autumn actually recoils a few steps. "Colonel Autumn, still bellyaching about all the times you took it up the ass from your superiors I see."

Right, great idea, annoy the man who is holding us prisoner in a cage where we cannot move or defend ourselves. Don't you ever use self preservation, what about me? I'm in this body just as much as you are!

Autumn moves forward and speaks in a low tone, "I would have you know that you are here only by the good graces of the President himself. He ordered your safe return to the bunker. If it were up to me, I would have melted your sorry carcass into the floor with the rest of those degenerates."

Luther's thoughts start moving at a mile a minute. Autumn said he would have left him with the others, does that mean the others are dead? Even Nick and Tyler? No, they would have made it out, Luther made sure Tyler saw the escape route before the attack came. There is also Autumn's mention of the President, that means that Eden is still in power, just like the radio broadcasts say. "Still taking up the ass."

Autumn smiles coyly and steps back. "You don't fool me, Major. I can tell what you are thinking. Your people are indeed all dead. No one else may be able to read that expressionless face of yours but we were trained by the same man, remember? I have to wonder what Captain Kreger would think of you, he would probably be very proud of the way you followed in his footsteps and fell from power."

No, he deserves to die for that! No one insults Kreger!

"You bastard!" Kreger was the closest thing to a parent Luther had ever really had. Kreger taught him everything he knew, gave him all his morals, even showed him the difference between right and wrong when the man refused to attack Arroyo. Kreger mentored both him and Autumn, and Luther will not stand to hear a foul word about the man. "When I get out of here, and when I see you next, I am going to make sure you die."

Autumn smiles that cocky smile that just makes Luther hate him all the more. "You are not leaving this cell Luther. Oh no. It will make sure you receive all the nutrition you need to stay alive for many more years. Years during which you will witness my rise to power and the destruction of all your degenerate friends."

Luther hides his smile. Arrogant fool, you just told me that Nick and Tyler are still out there. "You got my family killed, you exiled me, and now you insult Kreger. I have dealt with a lot of things up to this point. I have lived with the guilt. Know now, you will pay for what you have been done. I've been expecting this for a long time, and you are going to get yours, I swear it!"

Autumn shakes his head and steps back, folding his arms behind his back. "Strange oaths coming from the man who has, for a second time, betrayed his loved ones. I have to applaud you, Major, we never would have known Project Purity was almost operational if you had not contacted us. It really is a shame you decided to come back to us, I so would have enjoyed seeing you turned into a puddle of plasma residue."

If he could, Luther would be hanging his head. It is true, he told to Enclave about James and Nick's plan to get the project back up and running. He knows Nick will never be able to forgive him, nor will Tyler, and he hopes that he is right and they made it out alive, but this was something he had to do. Project Purity simply will not work without the GECK, and thanks to him, the Enclave is in possession of the only one still left functional. It was his final mission for the Enclave. Go to vault 87, wipe out the inhabitants, retrieve and return the GECK. Only he didn't wipe out everyone, Fawkes helped him and so Luther left him alive. Then he discovered that Autumn had been using his newborn daughter to test strands of the FEV. The girl hadn't even been named yet, and his wife, raped and murdered, by his own people. He went crazy, attacked, and that was all Autumn needed. Then the man was only a Captain, but he managed to frame Luther for the death of both is wife and daughter. Now, if Luther isn't careful, he is going to get his friends killed as well. But he needs to get the GECK away from the Enclave before they use Project Purity to wipe out half the wasteland by poisoning the water.

Would getting ride of the mutants be such a bad thing? The Supermutants surely cause enough trouble for you to want them gone permanently. And your daughter's death was in the search for a way to cure all radiation! Just like that girl you saved from the Pit, she wasn't any different! You belong here, saving the wasteland.

Colonel Autumn steps forward and draws out a long baton with a crackling electric tip. "I have been waiting many years for the chance to make you suffer." He slams the baton into Luther's side and electrical bolts sear through his body. All he can do is grit his teeth. "You were always so proud," he hits him again, "always looking down on me," another strike, "always thinking that you were the best the Enclave had to offer!" Autumn strikes him multiple times.

Ah, gah! Fucking pain! Just make him stop!

"Well, now I get to make you suffer for your pride for the rest of you life." He makes to strike again, but is interrupted.

"Colonel Autumn!" Booms a voice from a loudspeaker set into the wall beneath a viewing camera. "I wish to speak with the prisoner, alone!" Luther is treated to a view of Autumn's face twisting in annoyance before the man turns around. That's right, Luther thinks, still taking it up the ass from your betters.

"Mr. President," Autumn's tone is clearly strained, "I was in the middle of getting information of vital importance from our prisoner. I would like to proceed."

"Colonel," the President's tone is patronizing, "I am well aware of what you were doing. Now I wish to speak with you about your un-military like conduct immediately."

Autumn grinds his teeth audibly before saluting, "Yes sir." Autumn leaves with one last furious glance back at Luther.

Luther's eyes glue themselves to the viewing camera which swivels to look in his direction. "You will have to forgive the Colonel, Major, he has been under a great deal of stress these past few months. He has been a pivotal part in our preparations for the final push to ride this area of the foul mutants who live here now. It is good that you have come back to us, we need a soldier like you, now more than ever. That is assuming of course that you are willing to work to pay for your past crimes. We cannot simply let you walk free, of course, nor will you have your former rank, but you will be able to regain all of that once you prove yourself loyal."

Luther swallows hard. "And, what would I have to do to prove that?"

"Why, nothing less than restoring operational status to the GECK." Got you, Luther thinks. "Ever since you sabotaged it, our scientists haven't been able to make it work properly and thus we cannot synthesize the correct serum needed to wipe out the degenerates of the wasteland. Surely you still believe in a better America free from the dangers of radiation?"

Yes, a better tomorrow, a better world for everyone! You believe in that!

Luther attempts to nod, but the cell still holds him in place. "Mr. President, I never abandoned that cause. I simply strayed from the path, but never abandoned."

The containment field around him sizzles and disappears. Luther falls to his knees as gravity once again seizes him. He stands up, shaky at first, but quickly gets his bearings. "In that case, I wish to speak with you face to face. I take it you remember the way?" Luther nods and the door slides open. "Then by all means, join me in my office."

You fool! You have already gotten your friends killed with this stupid plan of yours! You heard Autumn, they are dead, dead, dead! Getting yourself killed while trying to retrieve the GECK for a second time will prove nothing! This won't bring your wife or your daughter back to life! You have to rejoin the Enclave! They are the only ones truly interested in making the wasteland better and you fucking know it!

Maybe so, Luther thinks, but right now, I'm not being rational. I'm not being smart. I am getting revenge, and revenge doesn't care about what happens to others, or to myself. I don't care about the wasteland anymore. All I care about, is making Autumn, Eden, and all the rest of the Enclave burn! Luther looks around at the interior of the underground bunker. Luckily for me, they have already dug their own fucking graves.

Dogmeat paws at the ground and glances over his shoulder. He lets out an alert bark and runs forward a few more paces before looking back again. The two legs who looks like they are made of metal but are not follow him. "I swear," one non metal two legs says to the other, "he is trying to tell us something."

"Are you sure this is the dog you saw at GNR? Could just be some crazy stray."

"No that's him, has the same intelligence in his eyes. I just can't figure why it is here without his master. the mutt would hardly let anyone near the kid when he was laid up at GNR." Dogmeat barks again and jumps towards them, only to jump away when one of them reaches for him. "Here boy," the one calls, "just let me get a closer look at you."

Dogmeat dances out of the way and runs forward. Behind him he can hear the non metal two legs chasing after him in their metal skins. They are using the angry words that some of his former masters would use when he was forced to fight others like himself. He lets out a long howl and increases his pace. It is not far now, he just has to get the non metal two legs to the covered hole in the ground, then all will be okay.

He stops at the hole and paws at it, trying to dig through the metal again, but like before, it only hurts his pads. The non metal two legs catch up with him and stand there. He cannot see their faces, but he knows they do not understand what he is trying to tell them. He sits down and howls long and mournful, his nose pointed up at the night sky. In the distance, he can still catch the scent of fire from the place that takes bad water and makes it good. His howl spent he again paws at the metal covered hole.

"I think, he wants us to open up the sewer grate."

"Why would he want that?"

"Who knows, lets just humor the thing so it will shut up." One of the non metal two legs bends down and easily removes the metal covering the hole. Dogmeat moves to the edge and barks excitedly. Below his barking echos back at him, making him think for a moment that there is another like him down there. Then the sound of gunfire and the hissing of the two legs who are filled with radiation echo back up to them. The two non metal two legs let out sounds of surprise before jumping down the hole.

Dogmeat hears them join the fighting and he nervously circles the hole, wishing there was a way for him to get down and help his master. He knows that his master's dangers position is his fault. If he hadn't been sleeping outside the place that takes bad water and makes it good, and if he hadn't gotten scared when the giant metal birds came from the sky and run off, then his master would be safe right now. Minutes pass and then there is silence in the hole. He stands at the edge and barks fearfully at the darkness below. He begins to panic and is about to leap down, when the head of a two leg appears and climbs up the ladder to the surface.

He starts barking excitedly as more and more two legs emerge from the hole. Then the two legs who is like an alpha but is not and smells like rotten meat emerges from the hole with the master on his back! Dogmeat howls in happiness as his master kneels down next to him and rubs his fur, pressing his two leg face into his. "Thank you Dogmeat, you saved us."

So there it is, the cat is finally out of the bag all the way. I have been inching and inching my way forward to this chapter, and finally decided that Luther's past was shrouded in too much mystery and too many lies. Even some of the stories they told Nick early on in the story about how they meet were lies, read Dusty Old Stories for the truth, but there it is. Luther is Enclave. I'm sure many of you guessed that already, but know you know for sure. As for Autumn, I always thought that his character in the game needed more humanity behind it, he just seemed like he could be a really cool character but had no history in game, so I decided to give him his own personal vendetta in my story. Things are nearing their conclusion and I am going to ask you guys opinion, should I include the DLC Broken Steel into the plot of this story. Let me know, leave a review, and thanks for sticking with me this far!