Heart of Steel
Chapter 4: Anchorage Retrieval
The light from outside temporarily blinded the initiates as they emerged from the low lighting of the underground. Just as Alvarado limped across the threshold, Aden and Gregor closed and locked the metro gate behind them. J.R. ran to the gate and hit his palm against it yelling at the raiders to come back.
"We got orders," replied Aden puffed on his cigar, putrid smoke from 200 year old tobacco filling the metro entrance, "Boadicea said to get you through the tunnels."
"Yea, just the tunnels," squealed Gregor as he wiped some mucus from his nose and mouth.
Roe pushed forward and whispered into J.R.'s ear, "it's fine, we need to move on and get to Anchorage before nightfall, we'll make due."
"Extra firepower is always welcomed," hissed J.R. under his breath.
"They've done their part, what's next is up to us," Roe squeezed J.R.'s shoulder before turning to Aden and Gregor to thank them.
"Whatever, kid," replied Aden as he walked back through the tunnel, Gregor following him.
Roe turned around nodded to everyone and pointed up the stairs. Lolli Pop rushed to the top of the stairs kneeling down as he peered over the top to see the layout of the land. He rushed back to the bottom of the stairs where the other initiates waited. They formed a semi-circle around him.
"Okay, so there are three raiders...I'm guessing not Boadicea's men, patrolling the parking lot. There are three or four parked cars out there, one of which hasn't had it's fusion engine removed," reported Lolli, "the easiest move will be to blow that car up, but I think the raiders are too far apart to get them all..."
"It's a better plan than risking all our lives," said Zimm, "so after the explosion we rush to get any that might remain?"
"We're assuming they're hostile," replied Newton, "we can't just go in guns blazing to take them out like that, that's not Brotherhood ethos!"
"That's Brotherhood tactics," remarked LaCroix with a bit of a laugh, "we've all read the action reports of the Brotherhood's dealings in the Pitt, Project Purity, and Adams Air Force Base. Bullets first, questions later."
"That is a horrible thing to say, Anna," Newton shaking her head.
Just then a crack of rifle fire broke the bickering between the initiates. J.R. was kneeled on the steps, R91 in hand, the flash of bullets leaving the muzzle in bursts of three. There was a small explosion in the background, J.R. turned his head to look back at the others as the ricochets from multiple bullets burst into the air after hitting the top step. Dust flew into J.R. eyes as a portion of a bullet hit the back of his helmet. He fell forward tumbling and sliding down the steps. The initiates rushed to him and picked him up.
Alvarado checked J.R.'s helmet, it had down it's job and bore the portion of bullet still in the back. J.R. coughed and took the helmet back to put on his head.
"What the hell were you thinking," Schieber asked as he grabbed J.R. by the front chest plate of his combat armor.
"Better to act than bicker," replied J.R. as he turned around, "Get ready, second explosion will be any second."
Just as he finished talking there was a larger explosion that shook the ground. The initiates armed themselves with their weapons and charged forward, up the stairs to meet the remainder of the raiders. The burning shells of the cars kept feeding the radiated flames with black smoke pouring forward. More then one car had had their fusion power source intact, leading to a large explosion than the one at the battle of Dupont Circle.
There was one raider on the ground, slowly getting up, another was looking at the initiates in shock. The third had apparently vaporized in the explosion. The raider that was standing up right quickly turned ninety degrees to his right and fired. It was then that the initiates saw the large, unarmed super mutant, run forward grabbing the raider's head and slamming to the ground. The super mutant, wearing turn shorts and wrapped up cloth for shoes, took a few rounds into his chest.
The initiates raised their weapons at the wasteland creature, prepared to fire, as Newton stood in their way, "Wait!," she screamed at them.
"He's a mutie!" Replied J.R. as he raised his gun again.
Newton stepped in front of him and forcefully lowered his weapon, "let him take care of the raiders for us."
"She has a point," said Roe with a nod.
The super mutant picked up the raider that was slow to get up. Holding him up by his gun arm, the weapon falling uselessly to the ground, the super mutant leveled a punch into the chest of the raider. The raider went flying out, over the ledge, into the Potomac causing a large splash in the irradiated river. The super mutant turned to the initiates and dropped the raiders arm that was in his grip.
As he moved forward, the initiates raised their guns. The super mutant held his arms up, open palmed. The fresh bullet holes in his chest still bleeding a little. He called out in a rough voice.
"I'm surprised you didn't fire upon me already," called out the mutant in seemingly intelligent speech.
The initiates were all in shocked. Lolli was the first to seem them, but two more raiders ran out from around the ledge. There were stairs that led down to the water side, with more raiders there. The two raiders saw the initiates and leveled there weapons on them. Then the dirty wasteland robbers saw that larger super mutant and figured it was the bigger threat. They opened fired, which visibly angered the super mutant.
The large muscular mass of green charged forward to the raiders. With two open palms, the mutant grabbed the raiders by the head and smashed them together into a mess of blood, bone, and brains. The two raiders became one head with two bodies. Then the super mutant turned to the initiates, his arms raised again.
"I apologize for my rough actions," said the super mutant, "but they were bad people and needed to be dealt with. You little children seem like good people."
"Little kids," hissed Alvarado with a sneer.
"Watch your tongue, Little Brother," said the super mutant as he stood a few feet from the initiates, his arms still in the air, "please, Little Brothers and Sisters, I am called Uncle Leo. I wish you no harm as long you wish me no harm."
"WE can do that," said Newton reassuringly, stressing the 'we' to include everyone; yet no one holstered their weapons.
"Thank you, Little Sister," said Uncle Leo as he lowered his arms to his side.
"So, uhm, Uncle Leo," asked Newton with a questioning tone, "why, uhm..."
"Am I not trying to kill you like the others?" Finished the super mutant with what can only be described as a faint smile, for a super mutant.
"Exactly," said Newton and Roe at the same time.
J.R. turned to Schieber and Alvarado whispering under his breath, "I say we waste him to be safe," Schieber just stared forward while Alvarado nodded silently.
"I do not remember what I was before I became this..." said Uncle Leo before being interrupted.
"Super mutants are...made?" Asked LaCroix with shock.
"Yes, I remember being captured," said Uncle Leo, "but not much else...then I woke up and was in my current state, Little Sister. It is a cold dark place, I care not to remember."
"What do you do now?" Asked Roe with interest.
"I help where help is needed, Little Brother," replied Uncle Leo flatly, "I am not a part of the others, I escaped from them before they found out what I am. If they knew, they'd destroy me. I follow them, when I can, to stop what they do."
"What do the super mutants do," asked LaCroix curiously.
"Besides kill and eat humans," remarked J.R. to Schieber and Alvarado.
"Little Brother, my state does allow me to hear you better," remarked Uncle Leo causing J.R. to pale a little, "but you are quite right, the others kill, eat, and capture. I can not abide as this occurs."
"That is noble of you," said Roe with a nod of respect.
"It is honest, earnest, and right, Little Brother, not noble," Uncle Leo's bared teeth parted a little as his lips curled up more, "that is when I came here, after seeing the explosion. I thought there was someone in need."
"Thank you," replied Newton, "we all thank you."
The other initiates nodded, some actually saying 'thank you'. J.R. gave a curt nodded, but felt they should move on. He whispered to Roe his thoughts, and Dan agreed.
"Uncle Leo," stated Dan, "we're thankful for your assistance, but we need to move on to the crossing at Anchorage War Memorial."
"I wish you luck, Little Children," said Uncle Leo as he walked back to where he came from, "and I hope to see you all in better times."
The super mutant disappeared and the initiates continued one their way to Anchorage War Memorial. They walked over rubble and on some of the remaining pavement of the old capital. They remained silent not wanting to give away their position and wanting to keep all of their senses heightened. They made it to the memorial with light still in the sky. The toughest obstacle was all the radroaches they encountered and having to dispatch them without wasting ammo.
There were two wastelanders at the memorial, milling about. The initiates saw them as no threat because the memorial seemed to be their temporary home. How they survived the Mirelurks, the initiates were uncertain. It was then that the headset in the combat helmets crackled to life. The static meant that the line of communication was reestablished with the Citadel. Instantly, Zimm put his hand to his communication unit embedded in his helmet.
"Citadel Control, this is Practical One," said Zimm, giving the official title to their training designation, "I repeat, Citadel Control, this is Practical One."
There was a crackle on the radio before a voice answered them, "This is a secure Brotherhood of Steel communications network, identify yourself."
"Citadel Control, this is Practical One, under the command of Paladin Bruce." Reported Zimm getting a little irritated.
"Negatory, Practical One has been unaccounted for over 48 hours. Recon to site last seen was a blood bath," replied Citadel Control.
Roe moved his hand to his com unit as well, "Citadel Control, this Initiate Daniel Roe, with me are Initiates Zachary Zimm, Hannah Newton, Anna LaCroix, Juan Alvarado, Lolli Pop..."
Citadel Control cut him off, "alright, Initiate Roe, please hand of coms to Paladin Bruce."
"Paladin Bruce...." said Roe slowly.
"Didn't make it," finished Zimm, "Practical One is located at Anchorage War Memorial, please advise."
There was silence over the communications in the initiates helmets for over a minute. Zimm called up the com unit again.
"Citadel Control, Practical One is located at Anchorage War Memorial, please advise."
There was a crackle on the radio before it came back on, "Practical One, we have dispatched a veritbird to area. We're getting you home."
The sound of twin propellers were heard as a vertibird left the Citadel and quickly moved to Anchorage War Memorial. The insignia of the Brotherhood of Steel was paint on both sides of the flying machine with white paint. It landed in the open square, it's hatch opened. A paladin wearing T-45d power armor, his chestnut brown hair long and pulled back out of his face, jumped down to the open square. The wastelanders had moved around to the side of the memorial, the angel in shining armor that came from the sky scared them.
"Get aboard initiates, you're going home to the Citadel," he announced.
The initiates moved forward and entered the recovered equipment from the Enclave. They sat down and strapped in as the hatch closed. Roe sat across from the paladin and looked them man in his eyes.
"What's your name, sir," he asked with respect.
"Paladin Bael," he replied as he strapped in.
"Thank you, Paladin Bael," replied Roe as he stuck out his hand for the Brotherhood of Steel paladin to shake.
"Don't thank me yet, kid," he said gruffly, "Elder Lyons wants a word with you and your friends here."
"Elder Lyons wants to meet with us?" Asked Zimm, who was sitting next to Paladin Bael.
"Yea, it's a standard debrief for a mission that goes fubar," replied Bael not really caring for the initiates.
"Fubar?" questioned LaCroix, "what's that?"
"Fucked up beyond all repair," answered Bael matter-of-factly, "mind how I ask how you kids survived? I was on the recon crew there. Saw what happened. God awful mess."
"We escaped through the tunnels," replied Zimm nonchalantly, "they asked to talk with Paladin Bruce, were you unable to find his body?"
"Body!?" exclaimed Paladin Bael with a slight inflection, "hell kid, there was only blood, gore, and exploded vehicles when we got there. No bodies of anyone. We thought you all bit the big one. But we'll save it for when we get back to the Citadel and debrief with Elder Lyons."
The initiates all looked at each other as the vertibird took off. They were on their way to the Citadel, and from there only Elder Lyons would know.