Here it is, the final push, the big battle. It has been a long road, and I thank you all for sticking with it this far.

Chapter 29

Luther comes into sight of the Citadel and lifts his hands above his head. Fawkes follows his lead. A Knight approaches cautiously. "Identify yourself!"

They are going to kill us!

"My name is Luther. I am a friend to Paladin Tyler Lyons. I have retrieved the technology needed for the purifier to work. I also have crippled the Enclave's main base of operations. They will be reading for retaliation right now. You have to get ready for war."

"Luther!" Luther looks up to see Tyler sprininting towards him in full power armor, his helmet held in his hand. "Damn, what happened to you? I thought the Enclave melted you into a puddle or something. Fawkes, good to see you as well, you will be needed in the coming fight. Its going to be a damn good one."

Lucky you have friends in high places. Shut, the, fuck, up. If I hear one more word from you I will blow our fucking brains out, Luther thinks to himself. He is surprised when the voice actually listens and shuts up.

Luther shakes his head. "They took me captive. I managed to break out and Fawkes helped me escape from the explosion that destroyed their base in Raven Rock caverns. Their President, Eden, is dead. Autumn, the second in command, will have seized control by now and moved the rest of his forces to the Purifier. Only stragglers are left out in the wastes."

Tyler nods his head, "There has been an increase in movement over there. Elder Lyons still refuses to make any moves without more data though."

"Sir," the Knight who questioned Luther speaks, "this man claims to have some form of tech that will activate the purifier. If the Enclave knows he has it, then it is likely they will assume he is coming here. We could be attacked at any moment."

Tyler nods, "Luther, Fawkes, come with me. Nick is inside arguing with the Elder. He showed up just a few hours ago, I don't know where he went or what happened, but something has gotten him all riled up and spitting fire. He all but tore down our front gait." Luther falls into step with Tyler and Fawkes follows after them.

"Fawkes," he says over his shoulder, "you probably know that these people are not friendly towards Supermutants, er metahumans, so just stay calm and don't make any sudden movements."

"Of course my friend, I have watched these soldiers for a distance. They are noble of heart and strong of arm, I would not willingly make an enemy of them. Luther nodes and follows Tyler. He is relieved they were not shot on sight, seeing as he is still wearing the Enclave power armor. His fusion core is almost dead, but hopefully they will be able to replace it once they get inside.

Nick glares at the old man and Sarah, "I don't give a damn how foolish you may think it is. The Enclave is a threat to the entire Capital Wasteland and you have let them move in on your fucking doorstep! They attacked what is likely the most valuable source of technology in the area and you just sit by! Your order claims to be all about protecting people and technology yet you do nothing to protect either!"

"How dare you insult us!" Elder Lyon retorts, "We have sacrificed hundreds of lives to keep the supermutant population down. We have been fighting a war for peace since before you even came to the surface. I know all about who you are and who your Father was. While I am sorry at his passing, I cannot sanction a full scale attack simply because you lost someone dear to you."

"It isn't about that! This is about saving the fucking Wasteland from people who are murderers and psychopaths!"

"He has a point, Elder," Sarah adds, "The Enclave is very much a threat. Their patrols in the wasteland have attacked our men more than once. Their technology is far superior to ours. Can we really allow them to operate so close to our own home?"

"I will not risk open war!"

"War is here, if you are willing to risk it or not does not matter!" They all turn to see Tyler, Luther, and a massive supermutant in a ripped vault suit enter the room.

"Shit!" Nick shouts, reaching for his pistol. Luther leaps forward and grabs his arm.

"Relax Nick, he is with us."

"Greetings friend." Nick stares at the mutant, he can't remember having ever heard one talk before. He looks between Luther and Tyler, and the both nod. He relaxes and puts his gun away.

He watches as Luther tuns to the Elder. "The Enclave is mobilizing. They are getting ready for a full on assault on the Citadel. While we were on our way here they landed artillery at the Purifier. There is no more doubt that they do not plan on allowing you to continue living. Whats more, we now have something they want very badly. Fawkes?" The mutant steps forward and places a metal case on the table. "This is the Garden of Eden Creation Kit, or GECK. This is the missing piece of the Purifier. This is what is needed to make it work. Tell me now that it isn't worth it to fight to regain something that could supply the Capital with fresh drinking water for years."

Elder Lyons looked between the faces of all the people present, his gaze lingering on Fawkes for more than a few seconds. Nick silently urged the man go finally get the Brotherhood off its lazy ass and into action. The Elder lets out a resigned sigh, "Very well, but you are going to need some support, and more than what just our infantry can offer." He turns to Sarah, "Paladin, assemble your men and get this man some armor," he points at Nick, "he is the closest to an expert on the facility we have who also has combat training. Tyler," the Elder hesitates for a second, "son, tell Rothchild that it is time for a field test of Liberty."

Finally, Nick thinks as he is lead to the armory. Finally I can put this whole thing to rest. I can do what I was pushed out of the vault to do. I can finish what my Father started. I can make sure that this world, my home, is at least a little bit better off. If I must die the same as my family, my Mother and Father, then I will. I will make this surface a little better for those who emerge from the vault. I will make sure of this one thing. I will save this fucking wasteland, even if I have to slaughter every single living thing in my path to do it. Nick steps into the suit of power armor that is offered to him with this resolution.

Tyler climbs to the surface with the rest of his group behind him. For the attack on the Purifier, Sarah decided that they need to move forward in two groups. She and hers will move along the surface, taking the bridge across the basin, while Tyler leads a second group through the water to ambush the Enclave behind their lines. At first, Tyler hotly disagreed with this idea, until he realized Sarah's group would have some serious fire support in the form of a massive nuke throwing robot named Liberty Prime.

Behind him, Nick and Luther gaze up at the towering machine with gaping mouths. Despite having grown up around the thing, even Tyler has to admit that he is impressed by the robots shear size and power. "Democracy, is non-negotiable. The fall of all communists, imminent."

"Damn," Luther whispers as they watch the robot begin its route towards the Purifier, "I do not envy the bastards who..." Liberty Prime reaches behind his back and equips a nuke, which it then tosses clear across the basin at a barricade manned by Enclave snipers. "Yep, they are boned." Tyler signals to his group, comprised of Luther, Nick, Fawkes, and two Brotherhood knights. They move forward and descend into the water.

The heavy power armor suits cause them to all sink to the bottom. The water is murky and up above the sun has already set, making visibility all the worse. Their huds direct them in the general direction, but Tyler knows this half of the attack is the biggest gamble, while the other is the biggest risk. He has to keep reminding himself that Sarah has done fine without him all this time and that she can handle this on her own.

Fawkes, too big to fit into a power armor suit, is held down by Luther and Nick as they walk. Occasionally they have to release him so as he can swim up to the surface to get a breath of air before quickly descending again. Progress is slow, and all they can see above are signs of heavy combat. Bright flashes of explosions, streaks of energy going both ways, rubble sailing into the water all around them. Tyler feels a cold sweat break out as a body in power armor sinks to the ground in front of them. He looks down, his headlamp illuminating an Enclave soldier with a massive scorch hole right through his chest and suit. Tyler shudders, Liberty Prime is perhaps too powerful.

As they near their destination, Tyler signals for them to move further along the water. He knows that they are likely in the correct position, but wants to make sure. It adds three minutes to their time, and he hopes to all heaven that Sarah and her men can hold out a little longer. They all equip their weapons and start to surface. Fawkes is the fist to shore and they can all see him start lighting up the Enclave with his gatling laser. Tyler is up next. He emerges from the water with his energy rifle at the ready. He has modified the gun heavily, it is automatic with a beam splitting muzzle. It has poor range, but anything in range is quickly disintegrated by rapid laser rounds.

Luther and Nick emerge at the same time and they let loose with their precision rifles, picking off Enclave solders from a distance. Next come the two knights. Both of them are carrying heavy rocket launchers and begin peppering the battle field with explosions. During the fighting, Tyler spots a barrier placed across the access point to the Memorial. Beyond it he can see the Pride pinned down by Enclave soldiers defending the energy barrier. As he watches, Liberty Prime steps over the defending Enclave soldiers and assesses the barrier. "Lithium Ion shielding. Strength, 100%. Probability of hindrance to mission, 0%!" Prime grabs the pylons of the Barrier and rips them up out of the ground.

The remaining Enclave soldiers retreat back into the memorial. A sentry bot activates and Tyler curses as a missile just barely misses him. He jumps to his feet and charges the sentry. The machines mini gun comes to life and sprays hot lead in his direction, but his armor soaks up most of the damage. Tyler gets in close and jams his rifle up under the bots outer armor and squeezes the trigger down. Wires and gears melt under his assault, but the bot swings one of its massive arms and sends him flying through the air. He lands with a heavy oomf and struggles to get back to his feet.

He spots Luther and Nick move into position behind the bot and fire at its fusion core power cells. The bot turns its attention on them and fires its remaining missiles. Tyler doesn't see if they get clear in time. He rises to a kneeling position and opens fire. Most of his scattered shots miss the bot, but enough hit it to gain its attention. The bot rolls forwards and Tyler shifts his aim to its front support lead. The tread on the leg flares and goes out, followed soon by the hydraulics required for it to work, but the bot continues limping towards him.

The Knights with the heavy launchers empty their remaining rockets in the sentry's direction, blasting off some of the bots chest armor. The bot turns towards them and its mini gun begins to spin up before firing. Tyler's mind flashes back to when he lost his men, how they were being cut down and he ordered them to stand their ground. He lets out a roar and charges the sentry for a second time, not caring what happens to him anymore. He leaps through the air and slams into the bot at full speed. The bot, only having two working support legs, topples to the side. Tyler twists around and fires relentlessly into the bots fusion core power cells. The cells start glowing and he knows what is going to happen, but he keeps shooting. The whole machine starts to glow and shake, then it explodes.

Luther's ears are ringing. He sits up and realizes most of the systems in his power armor are shot. He ejects himself and clambers out. Rubble has buried him and he has to claw his way up to the surface. His head emerges and his eyes are treated to the battle field still raging around him. He sees Tyler charge the sentry head on and knock the machine onto its side. Luther panics as he realizes what his partner intends to do. He struggles to get free of the rubble, but it is too late. The sentry explodes with Tyler still clinging to it. Tyler's body is sent sailing through the air and crashes against the side of the Memorial. Luther stares, willing for there to be some sing of life. Movement, a curse, anything! but there is nothing.

No. No. No, no, no, no, NO! He isn't dead! That man, ghoul, person doesn't die! Nothing can kill him! They killed him! The Enclave killed him! Forget everything We have talked about! Burn them! Burn them all in hell!

Dead. Tyler is dead. Luther's vision is filled with the color red as he looks at the Memorial that contains the Purifier. He starts ragging. "You bastards! You fucking inbread sons of bitches! I will kill every last one of you degenerate scumbags!" Hands grab his arms and easily hoist him out of the rubble. He turns his head and sees Fawkes holding him up while a bloodied and power armor less Nick provides covering fire. "We have to get in there!" Luther roars at them. "We have to make them fucking pay!"

"My friend," Fawkes growls, "this is why I stand with you!"

Nick looks at him and Luther can see the bloodlust in the man's eyes and beside him his hound has appeared, covered in enough blood to fill a bathtub. Somehow, in the middle of chaos, that mutt always shows up. "You will have to get into line behind me Luther. I am claiming more than half of those fuckers lives!" Then Nick charges and Luther jumps up to go with him. Fawkes lets out a laugh and joins them. Someone is screaming some terrifying battle cry, and it may be Luther himself, but he isn't sure. The three of them burst through the memorial door and plasma round fly towards them. Luther ducks and weaves through the rounds. His rifle is forgotten. This time, he wants it to be personal.

He leaps a low barrier and rips the helmet off of a soldier. He lifts the helmet above his head and smashes it down into the man's face. A round catches him in the chest, but the leather of his gear sheds most of the plasma damage. Good thing he isn't wearing metal. He jumps forward with a savage snarl and wrestles the soldier's weapon away. He turns the weapon in his hand and uses it like a bat to beat the man into the ground. He turns the weapon again and shoves it into a weak point of the armor. He fires, and the plasma slowly begins eating away at the gear. He fires again and again until he can finally hear the tortured screams of the soldier beneath.

Discarding the weapon, he picks up a nearby ripper lying next to a dead soldier and searches for his next target. The other Enclave soldiers in the hall are all already dead, Nick or Fawkes' doing. Sprinting to catch up, he enters a room and throws himself into the fight. His ripper tears through the exposed sections of one soldier's arm, sawing the appendage clean off. The soldier howls in pain and Luther quickly removes the head. A Soldier grabs him from behind and lifts him off the ground in a bone crushing grip. Luther manages to turn himself and get his hands into the armor. He rips out some wiring and electrical shocks go through both him and the soldier.

They each hit the ground and Luther rolls to his feet. He leaps onto the downed soldier and tears his fusion core out, leaving him defenseless. The man ejects from his armor and gets out from a kick Luther had aimed at his feet. The man jumps up and raises his fists. Luther whirls on him, ready to tear his face off, but stops when he recognizes the soldier. The two of them worked an opp together once. Luther saved this man's live once. The man glares at him, and Luther glares back, neither one making a move. Luther takes a step backwards, and the man charges. Luther braces for the attack, but the man never reaches him. Instead a knife pierces the side of his head and topples to the ground.

Luther stares blankly at the knife, not understanding what just has just happened. He looks up, and sees Tyler leaning against the wall, clothes burned, covered in blood, but alive. "No fucking robot is going to do me in." Luther jumps to his partners side and digs around for a stimpack. "Knock it off," Tyler growls, "Where is Nick and the others? I saw Sarah come in here before me. Have you seen them?"

Luther shakes his head, "We got separated during the fighting. I didn't see Sarah at all." The building shudders and both of them look in the direction of the Purifier. Luther takes Tyler's arm and helps him towards the door. They enter the room to see Nick holding a gun to Colonel Autumn's head. All around are the dismembered bodies of Enclave soldiers. They look as through they have had their arms torn clean off. Judging from the amount of blood he is covered in, Luther guesses Nick is responsible for all the bloody carnage.

"Luther!" Autumn shouts in a desperate tone. "Stop him! He is insane!"

Autumn!

The voice in his head sounds sinister.

Make him pay! He killed your family! He killed Nick's family! His men tried to kill Tyler and you! Make. Him. Pay.

"With Pleasure." He growls. Luther steps up to Nick and pulls the ripper from his belt. He looks at Nick, "I'll let you kill him, but I am going to make him hurt for everything he has done first." Nick nods and steps back. Luther crouches down in front of Autumn and looks the man in the eyes. "Colonel, I can tell you honestly, you are a degenerate scum. I hate degenerates." The screams of the Colonel echo through the Memorial. In Luther's mind, the man is getting exactly what he deserves, and then some.

Nick examines the control room locked behind the bulkhead. Behind him Sarah Lyons is speaking with Madison Li through an intercom. Nick can hear them arguing about the situation. The control room is still flooded with the same radiation that killed his Father a few days ago. Autumn did something before they arrived that is causing the entire facility to overload. If they don't move fast, they will loose the Purifier and likely all die in the explosion. Someone is going to have to go into the irradiated control room and manually put in the code to activate the Purifier before it goes critical. Only one major problem, besides sure death, no one actually knows the code.

"Let me go in!" Tyler adds. "I am already turning into a ghoul. The radiation won't affect me as badly. If anything, it may heal my wounds and keep me alive a little longer."

"No," Luther growls, "prolonged exposure for a ghoul will only speed up the process. You would go feral before you could even begin punching in the code. Which you don't know!"

"I should go." Sarah says as she turns to Tyler and touches his face. "This is my mission. I am the highest ranking officer here. I should be the one to go in. It is what any good commander would do."

Luther again shakes his head. "No way in hell are any of you going in there! This has all happened because of the Enclave! I am the reason any of us are here! I took the GECK from vault 87! I gave the Enclave what it needed to make this place into a weapon! They even gave me a serum that can wipe out any and all irradiated life forms! This is my fault, my problem, I have to be the one to fix it!"They all start shouting over each other.

Nick Leans down and looks at Dogmeat. The dog is looking up at him with big sad eyes. "Take care of them will you boy?" he rubs the dogs head and Dogmeat licks his fingers, whimpering softly. Nick steps away from them and into the clean room. He pulls a lever and the bulkhead closes, cutting him off from the others. Luther's head snaps up at the sound and his eyes lock with Nick's. Nick holds his gaze for a few seconds, but then looks away. "Nick!" Luther screams, pounding against the bulkhead, "what the hell are you doing?"

"I am finishing what my Father started. I am doing what I came to the surface to do. I never would have made it without you Luther. Or you Tyler. The two of you are the only family I have left. I will gladly die to make sure you have a better future." Nick pulls the second lever and the bulkhead separating him from the control room lifts up. Luther and the other shout something, but he cannot hear them. The radiation hits him like a wall, forcing him to his knees. He looks down at his arm and sees the hair shrivel up and fall away.

He crawls forward, dragging himself along the floor towards the control panel where he has to put in the code. Thoughts race through his head. He sees the battle they just fought. He sees Amata's tear streaked face as she banishes him for a second time. He sees his Father's face as he tells him to run. Bryan as they find his Aunt, Little Maria as they give her to Lucy. He sees Vance and his people, Lucas Simms and Megaton. He recalls the faces of all the slaves who looked to him for salvation, and he left the to pursue his own revenge. Then another memory comes back. His Father, reading to him from the bible. "Revelation 21, verse 6. I am alpha and omega, the beginning, and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountains of the water of life, freely."

Nick pulls himself up to the panel and pushes in the numbers. two, one, six. The purifier hums to life and the water in the viewing chamber begins to clear. Inside he can now make out the form of Jefferson, the man who this Memorial was built for. Nick falls to his knees again, unable to hold himself up any longer. The radiation is burning his flesh. His skin bubbles and melts. His vision is all but gone now. He collapses to the floor and looks to the bulkhead. He can see the faces of his family beyond. Luther, Tyler, Sarah. In his mind he also see Charon, and Clover. Then he sees Dogmeat, pressed up against the glass, whimpering. His heart breaks at the thought of leaving his friend behind, but it is over now.

I did it Dad, he thinks, I finally finished it all. It is over. The wasteland has its water. His vision begins to go back, but something pulls at his thoughts as he slips away. There are the bodies of the dead Enclave people from when his Dad sealed himself in here, but where is his Dad's body? Finally the darkness takes him. He closes his eyes, content with what life has given him. Goodbye.