PART II: THE INITIATE
1653 Hours, April 15, 2280, Citadel, Laboratory, Private Office 2A
Elder Dimitri called Star Paladin Connelly for a private meeting his office. He had the approval of Knight Linderman which, to the Elder, was good enough for him. He paged through the Knight's evaluation for an hour for any discrepancies but mostly to verify that he wasn't making a huge mistake. His mind hadn't thought about anything else aside from this Wastelander. He wanted to see her and speak to her about the pressures and challenges she would have to overcome. Elder Dimitri wasn't certain she would be able handle it. If she could, however, the Elder and everyone else would be extremely impressed. Yet, he knew that it was not his place to familiarize himself with her. He had people he trusted on the matter and he had more pressing concerns to deal with.
At least, with the evaluation, he was able to put a name to her: Lisette O'Brien. It was a lovely name, for a Wastelander.
The Elder's door chimed and he approved the entry.
In the doorway, stood Star Paladin Connelly. She was dressed in her dark casual uniform with an embellished gold rank on her shoulder. She regarded the Elder with a salute, fist to her chest. "Steel be with you, Elder." she said.
He returned the salute and offered her a chair across from his desk. He pulled up the Wastelander's - O'Brien's evaluation on his terminal and cleared his throat. "Knight Linderman has deemed her trainable and he commented on her character. That it had potential. Do you agree?"
"Yes, Elder."
He nodded. "I've already ordered that she be taken into Knight Linderman's personal training division and you are permitted to sponsor her through her second tier of training."
"Thank you, Elder. If you don't mind me asking, why only the second tier?"
He held up a hand. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Just because she's deemed trainable doesn't mean she'll be able to get through first tier training. And I'm more confident in Knight Linderman's abilities in the first tier than I am with yours. She may have the approval of Knight Linderman but that's no reflection of how she'll fare in training. If she can make it through his training, then she'll have no problem when it comes time for you to sponsor her. What have you gathered from her? What's her story?"
"The only information I could get from her was basic. Her name and that she has - or had a brother. They were travelling together and got separated. The area I found her in is slaver territory so I imagine they had something to do with her condition and possibly her brother."
Elder Dimitri raised his eyebrows. "Slavers?"
She nodded. "That's all I know. She wasn't apt to talking."
"Knight Linderman got all his information easily. I wonder why you weren't able to do the same?"
Paladin Connelly only stared in response.
"I don't think you realize what tremendous burden you have imposed on her."
"I was fully aware of what I was doing, sir." She said.
Elder Dimitri wasn't convinced she truly did. "She will have to overcome incredible opposition here. The last time we let someone from the Wasteland join our ranks, he was a great asset but only for a short time. He had his own agenda and demonstrated that very clearly once he abandoned us. Only the best and most loyal will remain true Brothers and Sisters of will be watching her thoroughly and if there is any kind of misbehavior or suspicion of her intentions, then she will be removed. Everyone will be watching her and I believe that you and I are among the few that have any capacity to accept her as one of our own. Are you still confident that she will be able to overcome all of that?"
"Yes, Elder."
Part of him believed her but part of him didn't. He continued, "You have more pressing orders that I don't believe should be put on the back burner any more. And to busy yourself with a Wastelander is a misuse of your time. I don't want to assume you're putting off your orders but I'm beginning to have that feeling. I do remember making it very clear to you the importance of them… Do you understand, Paladin?"
"Yes, Elder."
"Now," He leaned back in his car and folded his arms over his chest. "how is your investigation coming on the stolen T-51b armor? Do you have anything to report?"
"Nothing, sir, I'm still gathering information on who could have stolen it in the first place." she said.
Elder Dimitri was expecting that answer, however he was no less shocked by it. He gut twisted anxiously.
A complete, fully preserved set of T-51b power armor was located and retrieved from the ruins of a Pre-War army fort. It was a great find and replicating the armor was the main objective. Power armor post-war was harder and harder to find in decent shape and power armor is what gave the Brotherhood their might and image. To lose that image would be devastating to the Brotherhood. When word of this suit of armor came back to Elder Dimitri, he wanted that suit in their control. Once it was retrieved, however, on the way to the Brotherhood's storage facility, it was apprehended and not a single member of the escort party survived. Eight members of the Brotherhood were slain that day and Elder Dimitri wanted answers. He wanted to know who would have wanted it and who managed to kill eight fully armored soldiers. He decided he would put Paladin Connelly on it, knowing she was more than qualified for the task. He had promised her a promotion if she were able to locate and bring it back. And now, she was telling him that after a week of investigating that she had nothing to report. Who were they dealing with?
"You have nothing? It's been almost a whole week, Paladin. You're the only one I've assigned with this task."
"Sir, it's not an easy task. Whoever apprehended it did a good job making sure no one knew who they were and it doesn't help that they took out the entire escort party. That takes major expertise. I made a trip to the morgue to examine the bodies and determined that long range, suppressed weapons were used. It would explain why the escort party didn't know there was anyone there. I have yet to determine whether it was a sole gunman or a group."
"You think a single gunman could take out eight fully armored soldiers?" Elder Dimitri bit.
"The Wasteland is unpredictable sir. A single gunman is unlikely so it was most likely a group. Now, how large or small of a group is hard to tell. It could have been two people, four, or eight. Anything higher than that seems unlikely as well."
Elder Dimitri heaved a sigh. "Looks like a lot of questions have yet to be answered and I hope you find those answers soon. Do you have any idea of who might have done it?"
"That's the most difficult question to answer. Seeing as though we've made few allies in the past few years, it could be anyone. It could have been Talon Company, Rangers, even Raiders. I've ruled out Super Mutants because the job was too clean and concise. With Super Mutants, I would expect limbs to be missing and extensive damage done to the bodies. But the wounds are clean. And I can't imagine what the Super Mutants would want with a set of power armor that they couldn't make use of."
An idea came across his mind and he asked, "What about the Outcasts?"
She didn't miss a beat. "The Outcasts don't operate that far west. I have reasons to believe it's Talon Company or Raiders. Raiders seem more likely, which addresses the fact that the escort party engaged a group of Raiders twenty minutes before the armor was apprehended and the escort party was slain.
"I'm going out tomorrow to the site where the armor was apprehended and do a thorough scan of the area and see if I can make contact with any groups there. I don't ask much from you Elder, but I'm asking for patience. I understand the importance of locating and retrieving the armor but I will find it. I just need time. We're dealing with either a very intelligent group or a very stupid one."
Elder Dimitri had to admit he was a little taken back by Paladin Connelly's bluntness. Asking for patience was a bold statement. He shouldn't expect anything else than bold with her though. "I'm the patient one. The rest of my council is aren't exactly happy with you lately. With lack of progress with your current objective and bringing a Wastelander into the Citadel… I have plenty of confidence and trust in you; that's the reason I assigned you to it. This is an extremely important task. But don't mistaken my intentions for impatience. Go out tomorrow and get me more answers. You're dismissed, Paladin."
With that said, she stood, saluted him and left his office. The door closed behind her and the Elder pulled up a log on his terminal retrieved from a downed Mister Gutsy that was at the scene. It was rough fragments:
...20:04...departure of facility_19274...
...20:47...detected raiders...
...20:52...threat neutralized...
...21:00...5 miles until storage site...
...21:10…#&212481#() &!(?~`190023,}{}...
Elder Dimitri grumbled. The only thing useful from that thing was the time with which the incident occurred. But that didn't give anything useful. If he could guess, it was Raiders. But it could have also been Talon Company. Hell, it could have been anyone.
Whoever it was, they weren't going to be alive long enough to reap the benefits the armor had.
0312, April 16, 2280, Secure Transmission Channel, Citadel
FROM: P_BC
TO: P_FMK
SUBJECT: Idea
I have an idea.
Remember that woman I picked up about a week ago? The Elder approved of my sponsorship through the second tier of her training. This is where the idea comes in. She's not Brotherhood material at all. I knew that the moment she opened her mouth. She's pure Wastelander and no amounts of training will ever change that. She's exactly the type of person I need for my idea.
By the way, how's the armor?
I'll be heading back tomorrow.
See you soon.
1026 Hours, April 16, 2280, Citadel, B-Ring, Medical Bay
The next day, Pavlov determined that Lisette was well enough and cleared from the bay. And Lisette wasn't excited about it. Someone in a crimson robe came to her to escort her out, saying that there was much to do.
Lisette gave one last look at Pavlov who was waving one of his mechanical arms at her, "Oh, come back again, Ms. O'Brien! I look forward to our next encounter!" Lisette had to admit, she didn't mind the machine. It was the only person she had really talked to here and he made for good conversation.
The robed individual explained that he was a scribe and that he was going to take her to the bunkhouse to get situated. However, the scribe failed to mention that she would get her hair shaved off, which she was not pleased about. If Lisette liked anything about herself, it was her hair. Her brother was gone and now her hair. Great. The two things that made life bearable...
The scribe got her a pair of drab grey clothes that smelled of strange soap and led her out of the building. Lisette hadn't been outside in a long time and the sun was scalding behind the overcast. She felt it on her newly shaved scalp. The clouds didn't help the heat at all.
The courtyard was pentagonal and at every corner, there were shooting ranges coupled with covered metal awnings and sparing arenas. It practically empty aside from a few wandering individuals. The scribe led her to one edge of the pentagon to where a two story building protruded from the wall. They climbed two flights of stairs to a room that overlooked the courtyard. It wasn't enclosed entirely and the room was lined with bunk beds.
"I've been told by your training officer to inform you that training begins at 0600 everyday. And afternoon lesson is at 1500," He gestured to a bunk and a foot locker at the end of the bed. "Make yourself at home, Initiate." With that said, the scribe departed, leaving her to the empty room to be alone with her thoughts.
Initiate? Lisette thought.
She had been called a lot of things in her lifetime, most of which were not pleasant but she hadn't ever had anything that official to call herself. She hadn't fully wrapped her mind around all of this. She looked down at her boots and the gloves on her hands. She touched her head and cringed. Then she looked at the bunk the scribe had motioned towards. It was hers and the foot locker was embossed with: INT. L. O'BRIEN, OB-121I
She didn't know what to think about all of this. It's official then… isn't it? She hadn't imagined it would have been this easy to get into the most prestigious society in the Capital Wasteland but she knew that someone on the higher end of the hierarchy had jumped through quite a few hoops to get her to where she now stood. She didn't know if she would thank them or not.
It wasn't long before she heard voices and on the opposite side of the room entered a group of three individuals who looked like her, shaved heads and same clothes. They stopped in their tracks and regarded her with smirks and wide eyes.
"Sooo…" the only woman of the group said, "you're this Wastelander we've been hearing about? I didn't think you'd be in our training division though. Lucky you." She sneered sarcastically.
One of the men nudged her saying, "Hey, come on now, Oster, cut her some slack. Like you know what it's like to be a Wastelander. You've never been out of the Citadel unsupervised." The man approached Lisette with an open hand and a smile. He had a shaven head like herself and had a fair complexion and striking blue eyes. "Names Initiate Harvey Goodwin. Nice to meet you…?"
Lisette took his hand and shook it. "Lisette O'Brien.
"Nice to meet you." he said.
The woman, Oster, scoffed, "She's still a Wastelander."
"Not according to Elder Dimitri," the other man of the group said, offering his hand for greeting. He had a slightly darker complexion and darker hair. "Ronald Van." he said, " and if the Elder says she's one of us then she is. Shove your attitude somewhere else, Oster. No need to intimidate the newcomers."
Oster grumbled something before she made an about face and left the same way she came. "Don't mind her." Goodwin said with a dismissive wave. "She's always in a perpetually bad mood."
"I can see that." Lisette said.
"Welcome to the Brotherhood." Van said with a smile.
"You two are awfully nice," she said, "I haven't exactly had the most pleasant reception among your type."
"We're trying to be welcoming." Van said and then a giddy expression came across his face that surprised Lisette. "Plus, I'm sure you've got crazy stories about the Wasteland."
Lisette managed a laugh. "I guess I might. Me and my brother wandered around it my whole life. So, I'm sure I've got plenty."
"Brother? You have a brother?" Goodwin asked.
"I do… or did."
"Oh…" Van said, looking like he had been burned. "Sorry I asked."
"It's alright." Lisette affirmed, "He and I got separated and I'm not sure where he is right now… or if he's even alive."
Both of their eyes widened.
"Really?" Van exclaimed.
"What do you think happened to him?" Goodwin asked.
Lisette took a breath before responding. "I don't know, like I said. I'm hoping for the best though."
With that their conversation was over and the two guys said that they had shifts to take. They told Lisette that they had many more questions that they'd ask about at the next meal. Lisette didn't mind their questions and she'd answer anything they had but she was hurt by the thought of what happened to her brother.
As long as that old woman keeps her word about helping her find him then she was content… for the moment. She wondered when she would be able to see that woman again and she wondered what her name was? Brenda? Betty? Barbara? Barbara. Star Paladin Barbara… Connelly. Right. The one Lisette couldn't openly call a bitch.
For the rest of the morning and well into the afternoon, Lisette sat on her bunk. She assumed the bottom bunk and laid back, letting her mind fall blank. She took in the environment around her and was still baffled with how she got here in the first place. This was a miracle. It was all a miracle; the fact she wasn't killed when she was laying in the Wasteland dying, that someone had found her and took her back to a place she could get medical treatment, the fact that she got threatened to be thrown out cold and offered a new life all in the same day… Lisette figured there was a bigger plan going on here. Someone was articulating this; it wasn't possible that this all happened on its own. Was it God? If God was real, he wouldn't have let the world lay in ruin. And yet it continued to lay in ruin.
Perhaps it was someone more mortal than God?
Lisette didn't think about it much longer. It made her head hurt.
Goodwin and Van showed up again after some hours. They both expressed surprise to seeing her where they had left her.
"Oh, you're still here?" Van asked, truly surprised.
"I don't have anything else to do." Lisette said.
"Well, right now, we're going to the mess. It's lunch and I'm starving." Van said, beckoning her to follow.
She had to admit, she was very hungry.
The mess hall was full of people and voices. She didn't recognize a single face and immediately felt awkward and that everyone was staring at her.. She did, however, look just like everyone else in the mess hall: shaved head and fatigues but she still felt she stuck out. Her skin was not the same. She was the black sheep among the flock of white. She stayed close to Goodwin and Van, as they knew their way around the place. Trays were given to them and topped off with food. It wasn't particularly appetizing food but the smell alone made Lisette's stomach growl. Food was food to her and the food she had been served the past few days had been the most appetizing food she could remember. The trio took their trays and found an empty table and began to eat.
Lisette made a conscious effort to make sure she didn't down her food in seconds. She was starving. She did eat fast and the two men caught that. They gave her surprised looks. "Hungry?" Van asked, rhetorically.
She just nodded, taking a sip of the hot beverage that had come with her meal. She continued to eat, keeping her head down. She preferred it that way. Less eye contact with the others around her the better it made her feel.
"Did you… uh, not eat much out there?" Goodwin asked, gesturing outward with his fork.
"Food was hard to come by," Lisette said, "sometimes, we went days without food. This is the first time in years I've been guaranteed food three times a day."
Van's eyes were wide. "Wow, that's crazy…"
"Yeah, we're a little spoiled in here." Goodwin commented. "I can't remember the last time I missed a meal."
"You are very lucky." Lisette said, bluntly.
"How did you get here?" Van asked eagerly.
"How much have you heard about me?" She asked back to him.
"Not much," Goodwin replied, "Elder Dimitri made an announcement to our division that we would be receiving a new recruit and that you were from the Wasteland and that we were expected to treat you like one of us. That's about it."
"So, how'd you get here?" Van persisted with interested eyes.
"Your guess is as good as mine. I don't know how I got here."
They both looked like they weren't expecting that answer, rather a more adventurous and courageous story. Unfortunately, it wasn't like that. Lisette still didn't know how her getting here made any sense.
"What do you mean?" Goodwin asked.
"You didn't wander up here on your own? Or did you?" Van said.
"No, no. I was brought here and definitely not as well as you see me now."
"Yeah, I noticed that you have… uh, marks on your neck."
"Yeah, I think someone tried to…. strangle me. I also got a nasty black eye."
Goodwin and Van exchanged pale, terrified expressions. They stopped eating and had their full attention on Lisette. They were enthralled by her story and their faces urged her to continue. "Me and my brother were in a town called Megaton. I don't know if you've heard of that place…?" The pair shook their heads. "Anyway, some guy offered us work. And… as we started off to wherever he was gonna take us, that's where I don't remember a single thing."
"Do you think that guy… did something?" Van asked.
"Probably. My brother's gone and I was beaten up so, there's really no telling where my brother is or who that guy was… there's no answers and I don't think I'll be able to get any soon."
They both nodded and resumed eating, as if they realized that they were digging too much too far. It wasn't long until more people joined their table and Lisette found it hard to keep her eyes down. The way they all spoke to one another sounded as if they all knew each other fairly well.
Goodwin looked down the table before looking back at Lisette and said, "Why don't I introduce you to everyone?" He cleared his throat, "You already know me and Van," he pointed down the table and began naming everyone off, "That's Brigham, Taylor, Stevens… and Sutton… and Oster." Each person individually regarded her with their own greeting ranging from a small wave, a smile, a frown or no regard at all. She gave a small wave herself. There was one other girl aside from herself in their division. She remembered meeting her yesterday and she didn't sound excited to have another girl in their division. She was sitting beside Van and every so often, she glanced over in Lisette's direction with a judging and calculating look. Lisette decided she would be up front with her.
"Your name's Oster right?" she asked.
Oster hardly regarded her. She stiffened slightly and replied curtly, "Yeah."
"I don't think we got properly introduced earlier. My name's Lisette O'Brien." She offered her hand across the table.
Oster set her utensils down suddenly before saying, bitterly, "I don't want to shake your hand. We're not going to be friends."
"Oster, what is wrong with you? Could you pull your head out of your ass for two seconds and at least acknowledge the new Initiate?" One of the other Initiates at the table bit from farther down the table. Lisette remembered Goodwin referring to him as Stevens.
"I can shove my head wherever I please but I am not going to shake a Wastelander's hand." Oster persisted.
"Oster," Goodwin began with a grave and authoritative tone, "we have been ordered by the Elder to accept her as one of our own. If you have a problem with it, I would take it up with the Elder. Keep your opinion to yourself."
Oster stood up suddenly, taking her half-empty tray from the table. She glared directly at Lisette. "Nothing is going to change the fact you're still a Wastelander." With that said, she exited the mess hall, throwing her tray in the dispenser as she left.
Van sighed loudly. "Don't worry about her. She's not someone you want to be friends with anyway."
"What the hell is her problem?" Lisette asked.
"She's always had this chip on her shoulder since she's the Head Scribe's daughter." The initiate called Brigham answered her from down the table.
"I bet she just enjoyed being the only girl and having all the attention…" Stevens laughed.
"Like I said, don't worry about her." Van reassured.
Lisette began to look at the people sitting around her as silence fell on the table. She really look at them. They were clean, shaven, crisp-uniformed people with smooth, unblemished faces. Lisette had plenty of sunspots and a few plasma burns on her arms from close encounters with a group of well-armed raiders. All their eyes were bright and burning but Lisette's were dark and hollow. A few people had caught her looking at them but Lisette quickly averted her eyes. As much as she wanted to blend in, she felt she was doing the opposite.
Lisette knew that it would either come with time or it wouldn't come at all.
0552, April 17, 2280, Citadel, Courtyard, Initiate Bunkhouse
"Initiates! Come to! Atten-shun!"
Lisette was thrown out of sleep and the blinding lights snapped on above her. Throwing herself up, adrenaline coursed through her. If she woke up to someone shouting, it was her brother and it was never good. But it wasn't her brother - it was Knight Linderman. And he could yell. As her eyes came to adjust, she noticed the other Initiates standing at their bunks, at what Lisette would assume "attention" was. She did her best to mimic their stance.
Knight Linderman, fully armored, filled the doorway with ease. The armor was something both inspiring and terrifying. It was large and cumbersome. The way he strode forward gave the impression that it was another layer of skin to him. His strides were fluid and it was impressive.
"Good morning, Initiates," Knight Linderman said and he began to walk up the line of Initiates, "Before we go over the proceeding for today, allow me to introduce the newest addition to the team, Initiate O'Brien. On the request of Elder Dimitri himself, make her feel welcome." He stopped in front of Lisette. He towered over her, especially in the armor. He didn't regard her much aside from a slight turn of his head. He continued, "Now, I hope you all slept well because we're going to have fun. For the next two hours, we'll be running. March forward, Initiates."
And run they did.
Lisette wouldn't consider herself out of shape but she wouldn't have considered herself to be healthy either. She was much more frail than the other Initiates and her endurance was not as good as theirs. They struggled, yes, but not as much as she did. She lagged a few feet behind the main group.
As they mindlessly ran in circles around the courtyard, Knight Linderman yelled taunts to them,"You think this is tough, Initiates? I had to outrun a behemoth once! That was tough! Oster, keep up!"
Lisette caught the glance of Goodwin who was about to pass her for second time. "What's a behemoth?" she asked, breathless.
"You don't wanna know!" he replied and ran past.
The two hours lasted longer than she thought but finally, Knight Linderman called them to and dismissed them. They would have weapons training at 1500. He left the group in the courtyard and Lisette felt like she was going to throw up. Doubled over, she focused on her breathing. Her lungs ached and her legs were wobbly. Eventually, her knees gave and she fell to the ground, breathless.
Van came over to her and standing over her, he said, "Welcome to hell," he managed to laugh between gasping breaths.
Lisette shook her head. "That was awful."
"Get used to it because running is something Knight Linderman loves to make us do. He assumes that we should all be able to outrun him. And that's not something that most do." Van said, "I believe a shower is in order after all of that." He offered his hand to help her up and she took it.
The group began for the bunkhouse to retrieve clothes and soaps for showering. As everyone gathered their belongings from their footlockers, Lisette did the same. Inside the footlocker, there were more items than she expected. She began to go through it, genuinely shocked at what was inside. There was a toothbrush, toothpaste, and soap contained in a small metal box. It was the first time in her life she had all of these luxuries given to her. She didn't know how she felt about it. She was thankful but surprisingly, shocked, baffled. Three meals a day. A safe, secure place to sleep, soap, a toothbrush and toothpaste…. She continued to dig and came up with two pairs of neatly folded, embroidered fatigues and a nicer more crisp uniform with thicker material and at the very bottom, there was a pair of holotags on a chain. They read: LISETTE O'BRIEN, OB-121. And free, clean clothes. All for doing what they tell me to do. Lisette wasn't entirely sure if it was a fair trade but in her current situation, it would have to do.
Lisette looked up to see Van staring at her. He started and cleared his throat before saying, "You should probably put those on and don't let Knight Linderman see you without them."
She stood up and put them around her neck. "How come?"
Van shrugged. "Dunno, I know it's protocol. It's the only form of ID we have."
"Oh, I must really be one of you then if I have an ID."
Van laughed.
With a pair of clean fatigues and the box of toiletries in her hand, Lisette followed the group down to the showers and for the first time in years, she took a shower - a real shower. The only type of bathing she had ever done was with various water pumps and even then, it wasn't the most pleasant experience. It kept her relatively clean. But nothing beat a good shower. For a while, she stood underneath the shower head, relishing the feeling of the water on her face.
After a while, she got dressed into her fatigues and found her way to the mess hall where breakfast was being served. It was only 0900 after all. She received a tray and she found herself a vacant table and began to eat.
For a while, she sat there for a while by herself and she didn't mind it. She focused on eating her breakfast and nothing else. Her body was fatigued and she desperately needed more sleep. The hot shower alone was making her tired and after she had a full stomach, she would be more so. Then the seat next to her was occupied.
It was Van. He had a cup of coffee in his hand and he said, "You were in the shower for a while."
Lisette was brought back by that comment. "So? I haven't had a real shower in years. Is there something wrong with that?"
"Oh! No, no. I was just wondering if you... got lost or something." He laughed off the slight pain there was in his voice.
Lisette raised an eyebrow. That was an awkward question. She was suddenly beginning to realize that Van seemed to gravitate towards her. She didn't know why but she had some guesses. But Lisette decided she would ask; wouldn't hurt, would it?
"You've been around me a lot. Any particular reason that is?" When the words came out of her mouth, they sounded harsh and accusatory. The look that came across his face was something she wasn't expecting.
His cheeks flared.
"Oh, well, since you're new, I figured… I figured you'd want someone to talk to and make you feel like you're accepted around here and…" That was all Lisette heard. He continued to drone on about something but Lisette saw someone enter the mess stopped eating and stiffened, all her attention at the person who had walked in.
It was Connelly. The Paladin. The entire mess hall hushed and the other Initiates in the room eyed her warily. Lisette couldn't tell if she was popular or wasn't popular around here. She wanted to talk to her but the Paladin looked busy and on her own agenda. But Lisette eyed her intensely, staring her up and down. She was dressed in a dark crisp uniform and her gray hair was pulled back into a slick updo. She reminded Lisette of what she would imagine a cat to look like; sleek, all angles, and very mysterious.
Paladin Connelly got herself coffee but as she turned to leave, she caught sight of Lisette staring at her. A minute curve came to her lips and she approached Lisette, willingly.
Van stopped his droning and stared blankly at the tall, powerful Paladin suddenly standing before them. Van jumped up and saluted the Paladin at the drop of a hat. The Paladin acknowledged him and then looked at Lisette.
"I was half-expecting you would do the same, Initiate." The Paladin remarked.
"I hope you didn't forget about our deal." Lisette said, ignoring her request for recognition. Van sat back down realizing that there was some conversation between the Paladin and the Initiate that he wasn't aware of.
"Oh, I haven't," The Paladin said, "but you haven't earned it yet."
Lisette's stomach knotted. "What do you mean earn it?" She bit.
"Do your time and then we'll talk." With that said, she turned and left them. The mess hall resumed its chatter at her departure.
Van had a wide, terrified look on his face. "You know Star Paladin Connelly? How do you know her?"
Lisette exhaled a tense, agitated breath. She stabbed at her food with her fork. "She… God, she's such a bitch." She said, taking a bite and managing a sadistic laugh.
Van nearly choked. "O'Brien, you can't talk about Paladins like that! You can get in a lot of trouble for that!"
"It's hard to speak 'respectful' of her when she saves you from death and then tells you she'll only help you if you 'do your time'. Whatever the hell that means…"
"Wait… she's the one who brought you here?" Van asked.
Lisette shrugged. "From what I've been told, yes."
"And what can she possibly help you with?"
"Finding my brother." Lisette said, deadpan. She finished the last bits of food on her tray and pushed it away from her.
"Oh…"
"Yeah. And at this rate, I'm sure he'll be dead by the time I can get her to even want to help me." Lisette stood abruptly, took her tray, and left Van sitting at the table. He didn't follow her.
She stormed off out of the mess hall. She didn't know where to go but she wanted to talk to someone. Or something to talk to and she knew who.
Lisette made her way to the medical bay.
"Oh, Ms. O'Brien!" Pavlov cried, turning away from the person he was helping bandage, "It is so lovely to see you! I'm so happy you decided to come visit me! My goodness, you look so different with shorter hair!"
Lisette smiled. How could she feel unwelcome with a greeting like that? This Mister Handy was the nicest person she'd come in contact with in probably her entire life. At least the Wasteland hadn't made robots assholes too. Sawbones wasn't entirely an asshole but partially one. He was programmed to be the way he was so she couldn't blame him.
"Hey, Pavlov. Good to see you too. You seem awfully excited to see me." Lisette said.
"Well, of course I am! It's always good to see a familiar face! And I see you're doing much better, no?"
"I am."
"Hello?" The man who was seated on one of the bed snapped.
Pavlov whirled back to him and said, "Oh, I'm sorry. Allow me to finish you, Mister, before I glide off into another conversation!" The robot gave a hearty laugh.
He finished his business with the man and turned to Lisette.
"What brings you here, my friend?" Pavlov asked.
"Just wanted someone to talk to. I don't have anything to do until later this afternoon and I don't make friends easily." Lisette replied.
Pavlov's many eyes bounced happily. "Oh, I can keep you company, Ms. O'Brien! And I'd be happy to. No one ever comes to talk to me so I appreciate you thinking about me! Sawbones is always grumbling about something so it'll be nice to have someone around who doesn't grumble."
Lisette managed a small laugh. "Thanks, Pavlov. If you ever need me to do something that requires more… human hands. Just let me know, I'd be happy to help with anything. It's the least I can do for you since you had deal with my defiant attitude when we first met."
"Ms. O'Brien, you were no trouble at all! You were in poor condition and just needed some rehabilitation. I'm sure you and I will become great friends!"
1402, April 24, 2280, Citadel, Courtyard
Knight Linderman's training division was into their third week of training and he had to say, they were doing remarkably well. Linderman always kept his expectations down low but he was getting noteworthy results from his division. Especially from that Wastelander - or Initiate O'Brien. She had at least earned that much.
When he had first met her, she had a mouth but he noticed she had a character about her that may have been a useful addition to his division and to the entire Brotherhood. He had spent enough time outside of the Citadel walls to realize that they weren't the only group trying to make ends meet in this world. He had been raised with staunch belief in all of the Brotherhood's codes and rules. However, he wasn't oblivious. When those rules had been written, times were very different. He didn't believe that the Brotherhood should be actively recruiting into the Wasteland but he wasn't opposed to accepting recruits from different backgrounds. He had never spoken his mind due to unpopular opinion and his rank but his thoughts recently were bursting at the seams. Yet, he kept his mouth sealed.
It had been an entire week since Initiate O'Brien had joined his division and she had proved to him that she did have a lot of traits that the rest of his division didn't. She was hardened and had a work ethic that he didn't see in the rest of the Initiates. The other Initiates were of Brotherhood origin and had lived a life cushioned by running water and three meals a day. Linderman knew O'Brien hadn't and it showed in her actions. The way she ran and did exercises and the way she followed the commands with a different glance in her eye. When Linderman issued a command, the Initiates would respond accordingly and perform their task with little to no opposition. O'Brien however, always made a point to express how she felt with her eyes. Taking orders was something she was always questionable of but whether she could follow them was not the question. She was studious in her studies and aced all of her quizzes and exams in their afternoon lessons.
Linderman also noticed she stood out in the way she ate her meals; she relished every bit. The Initiates often complained of the food from the mess hall and threw away most of it. But every meal for O'Brien ended with a completely empty tray. He watched her go from thin and frail to able-bodied and frankly, a healthy looking Initiate. All her actions led to Linderman's theory that she was incredibly motivated by something .Perhaps it was the brother she had mentioned to his during her evaluation. He didn't know for sure but she was motivated and it showed. Linderman wasn't prone to getting to know his Initiates but he wanted to assess how she was doing and he would do so next chance he got.
One afternoon, he found himself alone, shooting targets in the bailey. He was lost in his thoughts as he listlessly fired his laser rifle. The targets were the farthest thing from realistic. Targets didn't yell, didn't scream, didn't bleed and targets definitely didn't shoot back. Linderman had to remind himself that this part of his division's training was purely physical and weapon and other various instructions, not combat oriented. That was the next tier.
Suddenly, he realized he wasn't alone anymore. Behind him, he noticed a figure leaning against the metal pole to the awning he stood under. It was O'Brien and she had a smirk on her face."You look bored." She remarked.
Linderman turned and greeted her, "Good afternoon, Initiate."
O'Brien put her fist to her chest, a salute.
"What can I help you with?" Linderman asked.
"Nothing, Knight. I was just wandering around, trying to find something to do until this afternoon's lesson."
"Do you find yourself with a lot of free time, Initiate?"
"No, sir. I'm usually in the medical bay doing work with Pavlov. Today, I finished early."
Linderman nodded and turned back to the targets. "I've been meaning to speak to you."
"Oh?" O'Brien came to his side. And then he realized how small she was compared to him. They were both in their standard issue fatigues but her boots didn't help her height any. He stood easily a foot above her.
He looked down the sights and fired off two shots. The head to the target exploded in a cloud of sand and cloth "You've been doing well. You stand out among the other Initiates. I didn't have high hopes for you because I wasn't sure how well you would take the change."
"If you didn't have high hopes for me, you wouldn't have cleared me." Lisette corrected.
"That's true. I had enough hope to clear you."
"Oh, thanks, sir. That really means alot to me." She said, very sarcastically.
"I'm being completely serious." He said, not amused by her sarcasm, "You're not a mindless grunt that does what I tell them to do and that's it. There's always a question in your eye, I noticed. I appreciate your difference."
O'Brien laughed drily. "Well, I've called the shots my entire life so someone telling me what to do is something I'll probably never get used to."
"You might as well. You could have a bright future here." O'Brien shrugged and Linderman fired off the remaining shots in the magazine. The target crumbled to the ground in a heap. He popped the heat sink with a sigh from the rifle. "You don't think so?"
"Not really."
"Why not?"
"I think the deeper I get into this, I'll realize it's like mixing oil and water."
"I wouldn't speak too soon."
"I'm almost positive that's the truth."
"I see…" Linderman said, under his breath.
O'Brien was an interesting character to Linderman. She was the type of person he hadn't ever dealt with extensively. He had encountered characters like her through patrols but it was on a less personal and less conversational circumstance. He had come to know that most Wastelanders on a more personal and more conversational situation were just like her: passionate, hardened and standoffish. They were certain in the ways and didn't conform. Perhaps, she would make a good soldier but it would take a lot of work.
"I suppose that answers the question I was going to ask about how you were handling things." Linderman said as gently as he could. He felt like he was already being too non-professional with her. He was her training officer after all.
"You're asking me how I'm doing?" O'Brien scoffed.
"Basically."
"I'm awful. I'm surrounded by strangers who all think like mindless ghouls and nothing like me. Everyone thinks I'm some sort of marvellous creature for knowing what it's like outside of here. Everyone looks at me like I don't belong and my brother's still out there somewhere and he'll be dead by the time I can get to him. How do you think I feel right now?"
Linderman wasn't expecting her response to be so poignant and bitter. He held back all temptations to dig deeper. It wasn't his place and this wasn't the time. He decided to be more off-beat instead. "I was hoping you would be thankful that you have three meals a day and a bed to sleep in but, to each his own."
She disregarded his remark. "But thanks for concern, sir." Her tone didn't at all sound thankful. With that said, she turned on her heels and made her way across the bailey. It wasn't exactly how he had expected the conversation to progress and ultimately end. But at least, he talked to her. He wasn't worried about her. She was fitting in well enough but she couldn't see it.
Linderman sprayed an entire magazine into another target beside the other he had finished off. It also crumbled to the ground. A thought came across his mind as he watched an Initiate replace the target. O'Brien in a different world would have been someone Linderman wouldn't have minded sharing a few victories with and even being friends with. But unfortunately, he knew that wouldn't happen.
He was her training officer and she was his trainee. That was it.
Linderman returned his rifle to the armory and went to check his terminal for messages and there was one waiting for him in his inbox. It was from Elder Dimitri.
FROM: DM-001E
TO: LN-085K
SUBJECT: Check Up
Knight,
I'm contacting you with a request of a report of Initiate O'Brien's progress. I would like you to speak to her as soon as possible to assess how she is doing. With week five coming up, I'd like to have a clear idea of how Initiate O'Brien's status and whether I need to inform Star Paladin Connelly that she can commence sponsorship of her or otherwise.
With regard,
Elder Dimitri
FROM: LN-085K
TO: DM-001E
SUBJECT: Re: Check Up
Elder,
I spoke to Initiate O'Brien and I have assessed that she is doing well, much better than expected of her kind. I expect that she will be worthy of Star Paladin Connelly's sponsorship once first tier training has been completed. I will compile all Initiate O'Brien's progress into a report as soon as possible.
Signed,
Knight Linderman
1305, April 26, 2280, Citadel, A-Ring, Recreation Hall
It was the division's free hours before the afternoon lesson and all eight Initiates were in the recreation hall sitting around a table for a game of cards. The table was large and round and all eight of them fit. On the table was multiple deck of cards. On one side of the cards there was an intricate red design and on the other side were either numbers and symbols or double-sided faces, accompanied by a "K", "Q" and "J". As well as these deck of cards, there were about over one hundred red caps splayed out on the table. Lisette hadn't ever seen that many caps in one place.
The division was chattering away excitedly for this game called Blackjack.
One of the Initiates by the name of Brigham was shuffling the cards expertly. "I live for this game." He said with a wide grin on his face.
"That's because you win all the time." Stevens scoffed.
"It's not my fault I'm a natural." Brigham replied unfazed by his jab.
"Did you ever play Blackjack out there?" Van asked Lisette who was sitting next to him.
Lisette shook her head. "Nope. I've never heard of it. I didn't have much time to sit down and play games."
"Makes sense. Well, let me explain it to you," Brigham began, "the magic number in this game is twenty-two. With each round, everyone puts in a bet and the dealer - me - will deal everyone cards one by one. Whoever can get closest to twenty-two without busting, wins the caps for that round."
"Brigham's the dealer because he wins all the freaking time." Taylor jabbed.
"That and I'm the best shuffler." Brigham said.
"I've won quite a few games." Oster butted in.
"Whatever, Oster. You've won like one game. Sit down." Taylor laughed.
"Something else you should know," Brigham said, "cards two to ten all are valued the same. Their number is their value. Ace, Jack, Queen, and King are different. Ace is either worth one or eleven and all the face cards are worth ten. Those are nice cards but can also screw you over in a second. Do you think you got all of that?"
"Sure." Lisette said.
"We'll play easy. But as soon as you start winning, we're going hardcore." Brigham smirked and then addressed everyone, "For the first round, let's all put in one cap. Start off nice and easy," The caps were divided evenly between the eight of them and everyone tossed a cap in the middle, "starting with you Sutton, let's begin."
And so the game began. Lisette wasn't confident she completely understood how the game worked but she focused on the fact that she couldn't get higher than twenty-two but had to hit it on the nose or get as close as possible. Brigham dealt cards to three others before he got the Lisette. She was nervous. He turned over the first card in front of her. An ace.
"What is that worth?" Lisette asked.
"One or eleven," Van said from beside her, "depending on what you turn over next with determine what you should consider it."
Lisette motioned for Brigham to flip another card.
A Jack.
Everyone chattered both excitedly and defeated to one another. "Oh damn, she's almost at twenty-two already!" Taylor cried.
"Are you serious?! We just started!" Stevens scoffed.
"Is that good?" Lisette asked timidly.
"That's great!" Brigham said, "you're probably going to win this round. Everyone else has busted but we've still got a few more people."
He dealt to four more people and all were not as close to twenty-two as she was. So she won the first round and eight whole caps were pushed in her direction. She took them gladly with a smile. "This game is all about luck, isn't it?" she said.
Brigham nodded. "Pretty much. Luck and tactic. Guessing and strategy. Let's go again."
Each round, more and more caps were shoved into the center of the table and more and more caps went around the table. Stevens won a hand. Goodwin won a few. Even Oster. Lisette, however, hadn't won a single one except for the first hand. To her, she couldn't have cared less. Everyone was smiling and having fun. The atmosphere that had become of the recreation hall was an aura that put a contagious smile on everyone's face but mostly Lisette's. She hadn't ever felt a sense of camaraderie in her life and this is what she imagined it felt like. A group of people sitting around the table, laughing, smiling and having a good time with a good game of cards. Maybe, Lisette thought, she was getting along with the people around here.
Oster won the next hand. She had a thievish grin on her face as she gathered the nearly thirty caps from the center of the table.
"Okay, okay," Brigham said, calming the chattering table, "whoever wins two hands gets all the caps, deal?" Everyone clambered happily. It was a challenge they were all willing to take. "All caps in." With all one hundred caps sitting in a disorderly pile in the center of the table, Brigham began dealing the next hand.
Once he got to Lisette, she had opposition. Taylor had nineteen, which was extremely close to twenty-two. And her first card dealt was a Queen. She thought for a moment. If she hadn't been winning the last few hands, it was because she was studying how the game worked. It was luck, yes, but as Brigham had said, it was strategy. The face cards were a one-way ticket to winning or busting. She decided she would have another card dealt. Another Queen. The table cried out in defeat. She put her hands down and stayed. The only way someone else would win is if they too drew twenty or twenty-one.
Brigham dealt the rest of the table but none got as close as she did and with that, she was in the running for getting the jackpot of one-hundred caps.
Again, Brigham began to deal. This time, Lisette gauged her plays wrong and busted with a horrible score of thirty. She was dealt a Jack at the last moment. She still had a chance. Oster had the winning hand with a seven, six and eight. Lucky hand.
"Get ready to eat shit, Wastelander." Oster sneered.
"Oster, watch your mouth." Goodwin warned.
"Watch it, Oster." Lisette said, watching Brigham shuffle the cards.
"You watch it. I've won quite a few games and I'm not losing today."
Brigham started dealing the cards. This time, once he reached Lisette, everyone had busted before her or stayed too low. Brigham dealt her a two. She drew and a five was dealt. Then a six. And then a seven. Twenty. Her heart was rammed into her throat. She wanted to win desperately and beat Oster, show her that the Wastelander can outplay a hoity-toity Brotherhood brat. She thought for a moment but knew if she wanted to go bold, she would go bold. She drew and Brigham drew a two.
Twenty-two.
The table sprang to life with cheers and groans.
Lisette had the biggest smile on her face. There was no way they would be able to beat a solid twenty-two. And no one could. Oster busted and the rest couldn't quite get to that sweet double-digit.
Van gave her a big pat on the back. "Look at you, O'Brien! You wrecked shop!"
"I've got to say, you've got a knack for this game." Brigham commented.
"Hey, we gotta put you and Brigham against each other. I'm sure she'd smoke him!" Stevens laughed.
The entire table was in smiles as they pushed the caps in front of Lisette. It was a sight to see. For someone who had struggled with only ten caps to her name, seeing one hundred sitting in front of her was quite overwhelming. But at the same time, she was loving every bit of it. Everyone was ecstatic for her except for Oster, who was scowling across the table with a death grip on the cards in her hands. And she was glaring straight at Lisette.
Lisette caught sight of her and smirked. "I told you to watch yourself, Oster."
"You're so full of it."
"Oh, I am?" Lisette gave a sadistic laugh, "I'm sure you have no idea what it's like to live off of just ten of these things." Lisette grabbed a handful of caps and tossed them toward her.
Oster's face twitched angrily. "You're so full of yourself because all you've talked about is how horrible things were for you. Like you're looking for a goddamn pity-party all the time. Nobody around gives a shit about you."
"Oster, shut up! You have no idea what you're talking about." Van barged in Lisette's defense.
"You don't have to defend her, Van. I'm sure she's fully capable of that on her own." Oster continued to prod and Lisette wasn't having it anymore.
She stood up and decided she would address the problem head on. "What the hell is your problem? Ever since I got here, it's like you've got something out for me. If I've done something wrong, please, by all means, let me know. I'd love to help you come to terms with it."
Goodwin grabbed Lisette's shoulder. "O'Brien." He warned with a low voice.
She shrugged him off. "No, no. I want to know. I understand I'm not the most liked person here but you have given me so much shit for so little reason. I've dealt with a lot worse people than you, sweetheart. I'd suggest you'd stop before I get pissed. I'm really trying to like you."
Oster was fuming. "You've got nerves talking like that around here, Wastelander."
Lisette choked out a laugh. "You make it seem like 'wastelander' is an insult but frankly, I'm flattered. You're the only one around here that acknowledges me for who I really am. So thanks." She gave her a callous grin.
Goodwin stood abruptly to match the two women. "Stop it right now, both of you. This is absolutely ridiculous. I can't believe you two are at it over a card game…"
The look that came over Oster's face was something Lisette couldn't judge, until she said, "I'm good friends with Knight Linderman, so you better watch your mouth."
Stevens groaned loudly and said, "Oh give us a fucking break, Oster. Not this shit again."
"Stevens, language…" Van reminded with a sigh.
"I'm sorry, but I'm so tired of her ranting and raving about how good of friends she is with him. Has anyone actually seen them talk? He doesn't even look at you!" Stevens cried.
"We talk during our off hours!" Oster cried back at him.
"I'm almost certain you two don't talk." Sutton added quietly.
Lisette cut back into the conversation."I couldn't give two shits if you're 'really good friends' with him or not. I don't care."
"If you two don't cut it out, I'll be talking to Knight Linderman about what went on here and I imagine he will not be happy." Goodwin said finally.
Oster crossed her arms over her chest defiantly.
Lisette exhaled slowly before saying, "Listen, how about we just… leave each other alone. It's obvious you don't like me and I don't like you. It'll cause less problems if we don't talk at all. Okay? Alright…"
Oster scoffed disgusted and threw her cards at Lisette, before leaving the recreation hall in a hurry. The rest of the division sighed with relief at her departure and began to clean up the mess they had made. Their afternoon lecture would be starting within the hour.
Lisette stood still for a while, lost in her mind before she turned around to see Van staring at her with a concerned look on his face. He opened his mouth to say something but Lisette spoke first. "Seriously, what did I do?"
Van's face fell as he stepped past her to gather the caps into a sac. He shook his head. "Like I said the first day you were with us, don't worry about her…"
"Van, how can I not? She's so hostile toward me for no reason. I've pissed off plenty of people in my life but I always given them a reason. But not her."
He turned to her with a very heavy sac full of clattering caps and gave it to her. "I don't think I can give you a good enough reason then."
Lisette took the sac from him with a sigh.
"You're liked here, regardless of what she says." Van assured her with a slight smile on his face.
Lisette rolled her eyes and started to leave. "Whatever. That's not true."
"He means it, O'Brien," Taylor pitched in from the other side of the room, "most of us like you. And I say most of us."
Lisette didn't believe them. Oster's behavior was overriding any progress she was making with accepting her current situation. For a moment, she was starting to believe that she fit in around here but that was coming to an abrupt halt. It had been over a week since she had began her training here and throughout the past week, Oster found little ways to shove her two cents into everything she possibly could. Lisette didn't like the constant nagging and it was starting to rub her the wrong way. Lisette had always had a long fuse but if someone gives you a reason to question that fuse, then it was worth the fight. Despite that, she meant it when she said that she wanted both of them to leave each other alone. Eye for an eye. It would make things easier on everyone and Lisette didn't want to jeopardize her position here. She knew she was treading on thin ice from the moment she got here and anything negative associated with her was a crack in that ice.
She didn't want to jeopardize the chance of her finding her brother. It was what made her want to wake up in the morning and do better than everyone around her. It was the motivation in everything she did here and without it, she would be hopelessly lost. If anything, she knew that someone poking and prodding at her wouldn't get in the way of that.
Van put a hand on her shoulder and said, "The afternoon's lesson is about to start. We'd better all get going." He gave her an earnest smile before turning to leave the recreational hall.
Lisette followed suit and fell back into the routine that she was becoming more comfortable with every day.
0723, April 28, 2280, Citadel, Courtyard
It was a typical morning for Knight Linderman's training division. Adorn in his power armor, he watched his division run laps around the bailey.
He was impressed with their progression and it filled him with much pride. It was all affirmation that he had finally found what he was good at. Patrols were okay and reconnaissance was mediocre but training was something that called to him. And training officers were always in short supply so Linderman was more than happy to help.
But all he could seem to think about what Initiate O'Brien. She was truly proving to be quite the initiate. Linderman would dare to say poster child but he wouldn't vocalize that thought to anyone. It was true - the question on her face and in her eyes was what set her apart and Linderman knew she would be a nice asset to the Brotherhood. She questioned things and didn't look blindly past orders; she contemplated them. He could all see it happening on her face. But with the initiates standing around her, they were blank, expressionless. He was glad that at least someone had any sign of life in them. Perhaps a good place to look for recruits was the Wasteland, the very place that birthed the monsters they trained to destroy. Again, he would not vocalize his thoughts because recruiting from the Wasteland was a gamble. You would either get initiates like O'Brien or you would get less cooperative initiates that would seek to destroy the Brotherhood from the inside out. And that was definitely a concern.
He then remembered her attitude and his thoughts darkened. Her attitude was less than pleasant but he could imagine it was what had given her all twenty-two years of her life. Linderman had interacted with plenty of Wastelanders to know that it was their personalities and attitudes that got through most of the terrors of the Wasteland. She was almost a perfect initiate. But what could he say? She was still one of the best he had ever seen. She could run longer, faster and shoot straighter than any other initiate. He knew she would clear for power armor training.
As he was about to call his division to, he saw a ripple in their formation. He straightened himself to look clearer. A cloud of dust appeared and someone tumbled to the ground.
And they didn't move.
He halted his division with a shouted order and ran to the initiate who was sprawled on the ground. As he came closer, he saw it was O'Brien.
She groaned something and lifted herself from the ground. She was covered in a layer of dust and dirt. But she had an angry glance in her eye back toward the formation which was halted a few feet away.
"Initiate, come to! Are you hurt?" Linderman barked as he approached.
O'Brien took her time standing up and she saluted the Knight. "No sir."
"What happened?"
"I tripped, sir."
"Fall in."
O'Brien jogged back to the formation to fall in.
Linderman wasn't stupid. Something was up. He made his way to his formation and called them to attention. He paced around them, looking at their flushed faces, streaming with sweat. The two faces he had in his focus were O'Brien's and Oster's who were side by side. As O'Brien fell back in, she had an edgy look about her. Her eyes darted to Oster. Oster's eyes darted to O'Brien's. It wasn't the first time he had had initiates taking swings at each other but he expected it from his male initiates, and never his females. He didn't mind being proven wrong but he would not tolerate it one bit. But he wouldn't call them out. Instead, he would keep his eyes on both of them. He hadn't seen any other questionable behavior from either of them in that regard before this point. He seriously hoped he wouldn't start having a problem with them.
Oster was odd to say the least. He tried to avoid her at all costs. He sensed she had issues that hadn't ever been assessed or evaluated. She had a tongue on her and she was extremely dramatic. He had heard of the other initiates talk about her quite often and not for a good reason.
"Three more miles. Forward." And off they ran again.
As Linderman started for his usual area to observe them, he spotted a familiar figure accompanied by a Gutsy across the bailey. It was Star Paladin Connelly. Linderman hadn't seen her in a few days. She was in a hurry towards the Laboratory and Gladys, her Gutsy, whizzed behind her to keep up. He decided he would try to have a chat with her. Besides, after his division was cleared through the first tier of training, she would be sponsoring one of his initiates. Naturally, he wanted to have a word with her about it or to establish a meeting so they could do so. He started towards Paladin Connelly and Gladys was the first one to notice and acknowledge him.
"Hello, Mr. Linderman! How are you doing today? Look, Ms. Connelly, it's Mr. Linderman!" Gladys never failed to be cheery.
Paladin Connelly stopped abruptly and spun around. She had her helmet in his hands and a large laser rifle slung on her back. Linderman figured she was heading to the Laboratory to speak with the Elder. But he decided to be nosey.
He saluted her politely but she didn't return it, instead she snapped at him, "Is it urgent, Knight? I have orders to attend to."
"When would be the most convenient time for you and I to speak?" He asked.
She looked at him with furrowed brows. "What's this about?"
"Initiate O'Brien will be cleared for second tier training soon and I would like to speak with you before you begin your sponsorship of her to establish your responsibilities and parameters as sponsor."
Paladin Connelly didn't miss a beat. "Knight Linderman, I have been extremely busy with my current objective and my free time is very limited."
"Any moment you can spare before May 11th?"
Paladin Connelly bristled and exhaled quietly. She was bothered by his request but Linderman knew that it was unavoidable. He had to speak to her at some point before then. "Next week. May 3rd."
"Yes, ma'am. Do you know where my office is?"
"Yes, I do. Thank you for your concern but I need to go. Steel be with you, Knight."
And with that, Gladys wished him a good day and the pair left.
Linderman couldn't help but laugh to himself a little. She did the good deed in saving O'Brien from death but now it seemed as if she doesn't want anything to do with her.
Her current objective must be really important. But Linderman doubted it.
1542, April 30, 2280, Megaton
A tall, dark armored pair stood at the tall gates of Megaton demanding entry, while the Protectron continually denied them. After several minutes of hackling, a whistle came down from the top of the gates. There stood a dark man in a wide-brimmed hat with an assault rifle in his hands. "What do you two want?" He called down to them "Get lost. You're kind is not welcome here."
"We're looking for someone." The man of the pair called back up.
"Who?"
"If you've got any bit of kindness in you, you better open this gate." The woman of the pair shouted up to the man, "We're looking for a man and woman. We think they may have come through here recently and they're missing. They might be dead."
The man paused before saying, "Hand over your rifles to the Protectron. We don't want anyone getting shot." The man disappeared from the top of the gate. The armored pair complied and handed their weapons over to the Protectron. A minute passed by before the gate opened with a harsh grinding noise, just enough for someone to pass through. The man with the large hat appeared and aimed his rifle at the pair.
"Missing you say? We haven't had anyone pass through here in a month." The man told them, his voice considerably lower.
"Do you keep track of who comes through here?" The man of the pair asked.
The dark man looked genuinely offended at his question. "Of course I do! I don't write it down but I got a knack for faces. Who are you looking for?"
"We don't know their names. All we know is that they were a young man and woman. We have reason to believe they were brother and sister."
"I don't recall anyone of that sorts." the man replied.
"Do you mind if we have ask around? Perhaps someone else has."
"You have two hours. The names Lucas Simms, the sheriff of this city and if I get any complaints from anyone here then we've got a serious problem. Got it?"
The pair complied and they were allowed entry.
Megaton was not a glamorous settlement by any means. It was dirty, haphazard and the people living in it were just as dirty. The settlement's crown jewel was sitting in the center of it all: a giant, dormant bomb from Pre-War times. It was a miracle it hadn't blown up but there was always the question if it really was dormant. Even by the looks of it, it made the pair edgy.
The woman knew where to begin. She spotted a small, outdoor bar where a woman was serving a few people food and drinks. If the pair had come through here, they would have eaten at some point in time. The man followed the woman and they approached the bar. The two men sitting at the pair stopped their eating and turned to stare at the heavily armored pair approaching. One of them men smirked and continued to eat while the other had wide eyes. By the looks of him, he was young and he obviously hadn't seen someone in full power armor before.
"Keep your eyes to yourself, local." The woman snapped and the young man abruptly turned away and continued to eat the food in his hand.
The woman at the bar scanned the pair up and down. She didn't look intimidated at all. Arm folded across her chest, she asked, "Can I help you two with anything?"
"We're looking for a man and a woman." The tall, armored woman said.
"Okay? I haven't seen anyone come through here in weeks…" She opened her mouth as if she was about to say something but closed it. Her eyebrows furrowed and then her face became sad. "Well, there was this young man and woman that came through here about a month ago. But I haven't seen them since."
"What did they look like?" The woman demanded.
"They looked very similar, both had black hair. The woman had pretty long hair and her brother had a red ball-cap on. But like I said, they weren't here very long. They got breakfast here twice and that's the last time I saw them."
"Do you recall their names?"
"No"
It was something and something was better than nothing.
"But," the woman at the bar piped up before the pair turned away, "they did head up to the Craterside Shop up there. Maybe you could talk to Moira. She might know where they went."
The pair gave her a polite tip of their heads and were off.
"I hope you find them…" the woman added underneath her breath.
As the pair entered the shop, they were greeted by a very unpleasant smell coming through the vents of their helmets. The shop owner popped up from behind the counter and welcomed them, telling them to not mind the smell. She had fire red hair and it was probably the brightest color in all of the Wasteland.
"Have you seen a man and a woman come through here within the past month?" the woman of the pair asked the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper didn't appear to be shaken by the two, armored people standing before her. She tapped her chin, thinking. "Well, it's been about a month since I've seen anyone new come through my shop... Oh, yes! I remember now. There was a man and a woman. Why do you ask?"
"Not exactly. We need to know anything you know about them."
Then a smirk grew on the face of the shopkeeper and she asked, "Now, what would two Outcasts need to know about two Wastelanders?"
"That's none of your business."
The shopkeeper didn't look pleased with that answer. This woman was smart. "There was a rough looking man talking to them before they left my store. I didn't hear their conversation but I have reasons to believe that he might have been of the bad type. Possibly a slaver. There have been quite a few wandering through here lately. Hope that helps and if you're not planning on buying anything, I would encourage you to leave. Have a nice day!"
That was all the information the pair needed. Within half an hour, they left Megaton behind.
"Slavers huh?" The man of the pair said to the woman.
The woman replied, as the two disappeared into the Wasteland."If he's lucky."
0825, May 3, 2280, Citadel, B-Ring, Office B4
Knight Linderman sat in his office, hands together, waiting for the door of his office to open. Paladin Connelly would be there soon. They had agreed to speak in his office at 0830 about her sponsorship.
Linderman had a lot of questions. Why would someone like herself bother with a Wastelander? Why was she so adamant on becoming O'Brien's sponsor if she appeared to be agitated by it more than anything else? But he was more interested in knowing what she knew about O'Brien. He imagined they had spoken more and he wanted to know more about her. He could make a lot of assumptions about her but he wanted reliable information.
The door to his office chimed and he approved the entry.
Filling the doorway with ease stood Paladin Connelly. She was dressed in her dark casual uniform with her grey hair slicked back into a tight bun at the base of her skull. Linderman stood to address her with a salute and invited her to sit across the desk in an arm chair. She took the seat and Linderman sat down, clearing his throat, "Thank you for taking time out of your schedule to speak with me, Star Paladin."
She didn't say anything. Her eyes scanned him meticulously. Her hands were folded neatly on her thighs and she sat straight as a board, chin pulled up in a slight tilt. She finally nodded in recognition to his thanking.
The Star Paladin was something else. She was stubborn, hard-headed and impossible to understand. Her motives were never clear and constantly shadowed in mystery. She was someone who had unlimited secrets that she would never divulge and seen and committed things that were not spoken of. Linderman was expected to treat her with utmost respect but he found that he couldn't speak courteously to her. She wasn't a lady. She was a sly character.
"I wanted to touch base with you about Initiate O'Brien." He continued.
"How is she doing?" she asked.
"Very well. She is adapting well for someone of her background."
"She's doing as I expected."
"May I say something… blunt, Star Paladin?" Linderman decided he wouldn't beat around the bush. He was too eager for answers.
One of her thin grey eyebrows arched in question. He could see a slight tension come across her face. "What is it?" She asked.
"I don't understand why you saved her."
She looked somewhat relieved once he spoke. Her face resolved the tension and resumed its placid naturality. "I already told you, Knight. I felt compelled to save her and I felt it was the right thing to do."
"Yes, I know that. But…" He paused, trying to find words that wouldn't be outwardly offensive but after a few seconds, he knew it was useless. He decided he would speak his mind. "You're not a very affectionate person. So I find it hard to believe that that was your motive."
"What are you suggesting, Knight?" the Paladin asked harshly. There was an edge in her voice that made Linderman's heart skip a beat. Yet her face was serene as ever.
"I'm sure you must have had something in mind when you brought her back here." He was being bold but he wanted answers. He knew something else was going on.
"You're exactly right, Knight. I did have something else in mind. But you're portraying me as having malevolent intentions, when I have much bigger and more important reasons for what I did." Linderman expected her to leave it at that but she continued to his surprise, "You and I both know where the Brotherhood stands right now, Knight. We are unstable and have no clear heading for our future. As someone who has spent their entire life dedicated to the Brotherhood, I'm appalled at the lack of progress we are making. So, I intend to do something about that."
Linderman swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. He wasn't expecting that. Suddenly, he was nervous, very nervous. He wasn't sure what she was getting at but it made his brain scream wrong. However, he pressed her to continue.
"We're not strong anymore. And that's the truth. We operate with a false pretense that we are an all-powerful force in this Wasteland. But we're not. We're a group of perhaps one hundred hapless, privileged and wanna-be Brothers and Sisters of Steel. It's very embarrassing how much strength and capacity we've lost in six years.
"The reason I saved her was to prove a point. Our obsession with exclusivity has to end if we're expected to make any progress in the next few years. We are selfish for keeping our technologies to ourselves. We have clean, running water and plenty of food, yet the entire Wasteland lays in ruins outside of these walls. It would be in our best benefit to realize that we're not the only ones here trying to make ends meet and perhaps extending our care to the less fortunate is a way to begin a better path for the Brotherhood. Bringing her in here has begun to turn some wheels in some people's heads. It only takes one push to get a ball to roll down a hill."
When the Paladin spoke, Linderman was inspired. His nervousness became excitement. He agreed with her wholeheartedly. For years, he had made the same observations and had come to the same conclusions. What had kept him from speaking up was his rank. He was just a Knight. But she was a Star Paladin.
The Wasteland would definitely benefit from the various technologies that the Brotherhood possessed. He had seen the lowest of low and the poorest of poor. The Wasteland was starving for a chance to regain a sense of normality. And he was confident the Brotherhood could deliver that.
A small smile came to his lips as he said, "I agree with you, Star Paladin. I've thought the same way for years but never had the chance to speak my mind. You stole the words right from my mouth." He was beginning to realize that the Star Paladin was an incredibly smart woman. She had brought O'Brien here to show everyone that Wastelanders have a chance of becoming as good as any other Brother or Sister of Steel. She brought her here to prove that the Wasteland not only gave birth to monsters but to things that were worthy of their respect. She did it to plant a seed in the minds of everyone in the Citadel. And the seed was beginning to grow inside of Linderman. He was ecstatic. His mind raced.
"Do you understand me now?" she asked.
He nodded. "Completely."
"Good."
"I think I can answer the next question of why you would want to be her sponsor. But I think I understand well enough. You do have some responsibilities being a sponsor. In about a week, my division will be undergoing the last test that will qualify them to the next tier of training. The next tier will consist of virtual reality training, power armor training and more advanced weapons training. Will you be able to manage two days a week of one-on-one training with her?"
"Yes."
"Good. I will let you know what you should be focusing on but you have as much free reign as you want, Star Paladin. The other five days, she will be with the rest of the division. So, do as much as you please. With some discretion, of course. But I know I won't have to worry about that."
She nodded.
"Excuse my questions, ma'am, but I'm curious - what's her story?"
The Paladin gave a sly half-smile, implying something promiscuous. "Interested, Knight?"
Linderman stiffened. His face flushed. "No, no," he insisted forcibly, "nothing like that. I'm just curious."
By the look on the Paladin's face, she wasn't buying it. Although, her smile diminished. "I don't know much. She isn't willing to speak personally with me. I'm sure that will change when I become her sponsor."
"I know she has a brother." he said.
"Yes, she made that very clear."
"I can't imagine what kind of life she and her brother had. It must have been terrible…"
"I'm sure it was."
There was a long pause between them before Linderman knew that their conversation was over. It was brief but he was happy with the way it had turned out. The Star Paladin was hard to communicate with but he found more respect for her after their conversation.
He let out a breath before saying, "Thank you for your time, Star Paladin. That's all I wanted to speak with you about."
She gave him a curt nod and stood.
Linderman stood and just before she turned to leave, he said, "And ma'am? I'm glad we have the same ideas about the Brotherhood. It's reassuring to know that someone who has more power than I shares those thoughts."
"I can assure you, Knight, that those thoughts and ideas will become a reality." With that, she gave him one more curt nod of good-bye and dismissed herself from his office, leaving Linderman with a feeling that roused a new excitement inside of him he hadn't felt in years.
1838, May 4, 2280, Citadel, A-Ring, Mess Hall
It was dinner time and all the Initiates were in the mess hall eating. Lisette tried her hardest to keep her head down and eat her dinner but she couldn't help but pay more attention to Oster who was entertaining a group of men about something ridiculous for sure. She was sitting a few seats farther down the table and Lisette was disgusted. In normal circumstances, she couldn't have given two shits to what she was doing but the longer she thought about Oster the more made she got and the more mad she got, the more she wanted to do something about it...
Goodwin nudged her shoulder, "You've got a death grip on that fork, O'Brien. You alright?"
She hadn't realized it. She shrugged dismissively.
Goodwin then looked in the direction Lisette was and understood. He nodded his head slowly, "Ah, I see," and then he said in warning, "Don't try anything."
"I wouldn't encourage her," Van said to Lisette from across the table, "She's got eyes for you too, O'Brien, so I wouldn't try anything."
"Oh, I'm not planning on it..." she paused, stabbing at the ground meat on her tray, "not unless she wants to."
"Definitely not." Goodwin snapped, "Knight Linderman would be all over you if you and Oster decided to have at it."
"But, I'm not the aggressor." Lisette pointed out.
"Doesn't matter. Any type of behavior like that comes with punishment."
Lisette scoffed and continued to eat her dinner.
"Hey O'Brien!" Brigham called from down the table, "Tell us another story."
With that the whole table began to clammer happily and Lisette couldn't hold back a smile. Her fellow initiates couldn't resist a good "Wasteland Story" as they called it. Last dinner time, she told them the story about encountering a mother yao guai and her cubs and then getting chased all the way into the Potomac River. Another time she told that her and her brother found the entrance to Rockopolis. Of course, they didn't believe her but it was still a good story. It was becoming something of a tradition and Lisette got a kick out of it because her stories weren't anything spectacular. In fact, they would have been quite mediocre to a Wastelander audience but to a bunch of clean Brotherhood initiates who hadn't seen a single inch of Wasteland soil outside the Citadel, they were gold. But what would she tell them today? She didn't have to do much thinking before a good story came to her mind, one that still gave her chills. At that moment, she completely forgot about Oster.
"I got a good one," she told them. The group leaned in, smiles from ear to ear on all of them around her, "Ever heard of Deathclaws?"
The group clammered excitedly.
"This one time, me and my brother were looking around… southwest of here near an old highway. There were a few abandoned houses and we were looking through them for food or anything that was worth scavenging. It wasn't long until we heard something outside…. a nasty growling. Like a yao guai but worse…. A growl that could send chills up a Super Mutant's spine. We had to hide in the corner of the house. And I looked through the holes in the boards and - I'll never forget it - this thing stood as tall as the house and it had long claws and sharp teeth and it-"
"Did you shoot it?!" Van demanded.
"No, no, you can't shoot them. It's not worth your life. They'll rip you to shreds quicker than you can shoot off any rounds!" she replied.
Stevens nudged Van nd joined, "Yeah! I've heard about them in some holotapes and man, you don't wanna fuck with them guys!"
"Yeah, you don't." Lisette agreed.
"A deathclaw?" Oster asked from farther down the table.
Lisette leaned in and replied down the table, "Yes, a deathclaw. Are you deaf?"
"Knight Linderman said he's killed one before." she said matter-of-factly.
Everyone at the table reacted very visibly and very vocally. They all looked at her in disbelief and annoyance.
"Oh come on, Oster..." Stevens groaned.
"Yeah, whatever. You're making that up. He's never said that to us." Taylor pointed out.
"He never told us about it but he's told me about it." Her emphasis on certain words implied something entirely different. Not many picked up on it but Lisette didn't care one bit about her or what she had to say. "He's told me all about it in private."
"Who the hell cares?" Lisette cried, "stop stealing my thunder, alright? You can survive a few minutes without everyone beaming at you, Oster!"
"Excuse me?" Oster cried back at her.
"You are the most persistent asshole I think I've ever met! I told you to leave me alone but noo, you have to keep at it, don't you?!"
Goodwin grabbed O'Brien's tense shoulder and shook her. "Hey! Stop it. Both of you! This is ridiculous!"
O'Brien shrugged off his shoulder. "She's the one that started this. If you're going to pick fights, you better know who you're dealing with and you don't want to fuck with me, sweetheart. I haven't survived this long because I'm beautiful. Why don't you mind your own goddamn business and leave me alone like I said a few days ago?"
Oster stood abruptly with her tray and with her nose upturned, she said, "Wait until I tell Knight Linderman about this."
"You know what, go ahead, tell him! I can guarantee he won't listen to your bitching or your bullshit, Oster. You're a liar and a spoiled brat!" O'Brien stood and squared off with Oster a few feet away. " I'm warning you, if you're going to try anything else, I would suggest you forget it because next time, I'm gonna punch your fucking face in." O'Brien hadn't felt this way in a long time. The tenseness in her shoulder, the balled fists at her sides and her heart was racing. The last time she felt this way she was…
Then a thought dawned on her.
She immediately felt sick at the realization. The last time she had felt this way, she and her brother were fighting for their lives. A man had lured them into the middle of nowhere and they were assaulted. Everything they owned was stripped from them… they tookher brother with them.
She remembered! The man at Megaton! He had lured them away with a promise of work and then he mugged Lisette and her brother, left Lisette for dead and took Orson to only god knows where.
She remembered.
Lisette was thrown out of mind by a loud cry from Oster and a tray hitting her face, splattering its contents all over her. A new and hot anger boiled up and burst through Lisette and she lunged at Oster.
And then, chaos ensued.
The mess hall erupted in shout and chairs screeching across the concrete floor, and the sounds of two women screaming, scratching and punching at each other. Other initiates tried to pry the two women off of each other but to no avail.
Lisette ripped her way out of Van and Goodwin who were grabbing at her and screaming at her to stop. She threw a solid punch across Oster's jaw, sending her flat onto her back. Oster kicked Lisette in the gut, scrambled up and threw her to the ground heavily.
Then, a bellowing voice cut through the turmoil and stopped everyone dead.
"Initiates, stand down!"
Suddenly, a strong arm came around Lisette's torso and yanked her backward off Oster. She was hoisted off of the ground. Lisette struggled to pry herself away but the arm was too strong. It wasn't until she stopped thrashing that she realized the arm belonged to someone in power armor and that the voice belonged to... Knight Linderman. Lisette looked up to see his helmet scowling at her. Lisette knew he was furious.
Another Knight had Oster restrained. She had a nasty bruise on her cheek and angry scratches on her neck. The carnage of their brawl could be seen with the abrupt silence. Chairs were tipped over on the floor, the tray Oster had thrown was discarded a few feet away and Lisette was covered in their dinner. Oster stared at Lisette with pure disgust.
"Initiates, come to!" the initiates snapped to attention, "report to your bunks now." Without a single world, six of the eight initiates hurriedly made their way out of the mess hall to their bunks, leaving a few paladins and knights shaking their heads at the scene that remained.
Knight Linderman set Lisette down and grabbed her by the shoulder, spinning her around. "Both of you are going to clean this entire mess hall from top to bottom and then you're going to report to my office. Is that understood, Initiates?"
"Yes sir." Oster replied quietly.
Knight Linderman looked down at Lisette who avoided his gaze and didn't respond. He released her shoulder and addressed the Knight that had restrained Oster. "Knight McDaniels, oversee that this place is spotless."
With that, Knight Linderman turned and exited the mess hall, apologizing to the mess hall officer on the way out.
