CHAPTER IV
The formation of Vanguards trekked their way through the city, heading south along the Highway 91, which would lead them towards a waypoint that Holiday (the AI) had placed on Janus' Pip-Boy. The group had decided against taking the direct route to the waypoint, which would have taken them through Richmond, a suburban area of The Van that was extremely radioactive. Instead, they were going to take the 99 west until it fed into the B.C. 17 Motorway, which minus the original detour would take them at a straight shot towards the Vault.
/OKAY, HOLIDAY, WHERE – EXACTLY - IS THIS VAULT 89?
THE OLD TSAWWASSEN FERRY'S PENINSULA. IT IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE BY A NARROW CAUSEWAY. THE FERRY ITSELF WAS ABANDONED LONG BEFORE THE GREAT WAR, AND MOST OF THE SURROUNDING STRUCTURES HAVE FALLEN INTO DISREPAIR, HOWEVER THE VAULT IS INTACT…FOR THE MOST PART.
/FOR THE MOST PART?
LIKE ALL THE VAULTS, VAULT 89 WAS DESIGNED AS A SOCIAL EXPERIMENT, NOT NECESSARILY TO PROTECT IT'S INHABITANTS. VAULT 89 WAS BUILT NEXT TO VAULT 88, WHICH WERE BOTH SELF-SUFFICIENT IN ALL BUT ONE WAY – THEY SHARED A FUSION REACTOR, WHICH WAS BUILT PURPOSELY FLAWED, AS TO ONLY PROVIDE ENOUGH POWER FOR HALF OF A SINGLE VAULT. VAULT 88 WAS FILLED WITH POLITICIANS, ACTIVISTS, AND POETS…VAULT 89, ON THE OTHER HAND, HELD GENERALS, SCIENTISTS, AND OTHER CONSERVATIVE THINKERS…WITH NOT ENOUGH POWER FOR EITHER, THE RESULTING CONFLICT IS OBVIOUS.
/WHAT HAPPENED?
I…DO NOT KNOW. MY THOUGHT IS THAT AN ARMED CONFLICT BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES ENSUED, AND THAT ONE SIDE WAS VICTORIOUS, FORCING THE OTHER TO LEAVE OR CONCEDE DEFEAT, OR PERHAPS DESTROYING THEM ALTOGETHER.
/I THOUGHT YOU KNEW EVERYTHING.
WITHIN REASON. THEY HAVE BEEN LOCKED AWAY, UNDERGROUND, WITH NO CONTACT WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD FOR CLOSE TO TWO-HUNDRED YEARS. THERE IS NO WAY I COULD HAVE KNOWN WITH THE INFORMATION AVAILABLE TO ME, AND AS SUCH I DO NOT.
/WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR INFORMATION, THEN?
ONCE AGAIN, JANUS, PATIENCE. ANSWERS WILL COME, IN TIME.
"Uh, Janus," Strabo said, "We have a problem."
Janus looked up from his Pip-Boy, and saw what had halted the formation. The Highway 91 bridge leading from The Van to Surrey and Delta had collapsed. It had been made of concrete, rebar, and strong materials, but now it lay at the bottom of Annacis Channel. "Fuck," Janus said. "Is there any way around?" Most of the Vanguards knew how to swim, but with fifty-pound packs it was nearly impossible, not to mention the fact that high tide was setting in, and the currents were growing stronger.
"Yes, through New Westminster, but it would require atleast another day of travel time, and that doesn't include whatever crap the Greetimb Brigade will give us." The Greetimb Brigade was a raider organization that based itself in northern Surrey, but claimed New Westminster as part of it's territory. They were led by a charismatic leader who called himself "Greetimb." The Brigade didn't give Stanley much trouble, in fact the two nationstates saw eye to eye on most things, and both had the identical goal of uniting the Van – the only trouble was that the Brigade believed in unification by conquest, while Stanley preffered a more diplomatic approach.
"Shit…brigand territory."
"Yeah."
"Well, then we better hurry." Janus said. He turned to face the forty of his followers and addressed them. "As you can see, the bridge is down," he said. "Instead, we've got to go around, through New Westminster…and you all know what that means – Brigade territory. If you see any Brigands, don't shoot at them, for god sakes. We'll just hope that they'll let us through their territory, and that our heads don't become impaled aesthetics for Greetimb's fortress." A few muffled laughs.
"Alright, let's move it!" He said, and the group turned to march. This time they marched in a much more organized formation, in a phalanx, just in case of an ambush…
..The distant crack of a .308 spat through the silence, indicating to Janus that they were nearing New Westminster. "Careful, guys," he said. "Remember – we don't want a fight." Strabo had the genius idea of tying a piece of clean cloth to a piece of PVC pipe, making for an impromptu white flag. He held it high at the front of the formation, standing next to Janus at the head of the Vanguards. "Hopefully they'll recognize the signal," Strabo said, gesturing to the flag. "Their not stupid," he said. "And they have no reason to shoot at us – Stanley and the Brigade are on good terms, ish."
"Exactly," Strabo said. "good terms ish"
Janus recognized his point. The reason they were on good terms was because they never had any terms – the two sides had never met, and their only communication between one another had come in the form of scavenging parties or patrols running into eachother in the urban ruins of the Van.
"Halt in the name of the Greetimb and the Brigade," a booming voice said, amplified by a megaphone. A quartet of Brigands, wearing the standard-issue winter combat armor worn to all members of the Briagde, came out of a toppled store in front of the formation. "Goddamn…are you guys Stans?"
Janus recognized the voice. "Sergeant Crowe?" he asked, remembering the name from when he had met the man and his scouting party in the metro a year or so back.
"It's Lt. Crowe, now, Janus." He replied. "What the hell are you doing in Westminster?"
"Just passing through," he said. "The bridge across Annacis Channel collapsed, and we need to get to Delta."
"What's in Delta?" he asked. Janus considered telling the truth, but decided against it. "We got word that the some Blazer remenants are camping out thataway."
"Delta's Brigand territory," he replied. "We can take care of them."
"The matter's a bit personal, Crowe."
"How so?"
He nodded to Strabo. "His wife…is with them, as a captive."
"Hot damn. I understand completely. As policy you will have to see Greetimb first, but I'm sure he will understand. Follow me," he said, and waved them forwards.
"Really?" Strabo whispered into Janus' ear. "I'm married, now?"
Janus had to admit the idea was a bit far-fetched. Strabo was about the most promiscuous person in all of Stanley, and he wouldn't have been surprised if the man had slept with every one of the single women in the town; perhaps, he suspected, even some of the married ones.
"Well, I had to come up with something," Janus countered. "After all, I can't exactly go out on a limb and say, 'oh yeah, we're just looking for an unopened vault for of weapons and equipment to take back to Stanley, which is actually in your territory,' we've got to be sly about it. In fact, we should probably pass word to the men."
"Good idea," Strabo said, and whispered what Janus had told him into the ear of the person next to him, who spread the word.
Lt. Crowe led the entire formation through the streets towards Greetimb's fort. In New Westminster the scene was much like that in all of the Van; empty buildings riddled with bullet holes, tribal graffiti, and the streets littered with potholes and strewn debris. But across the bridge, and into Surrey, the scene was completely different, almost surreal. (see what I did there?)
Instead of the wasteland ruins you found all across the Van, Surrey was being rebuilt to it's pre-war glory. Buildings were repaired, houses fixed, walls erected, and it reminded Janus almost of Stanley. Everywhere he looked, people milled about happily, but with a purpose. Even the lampposts were on – somehow, the Brigands had managed to restore electricity to the town!
"How…the lights…" Strabo remarked, more to himself than anyone else. Nonetheless, Crowe answered. "Patience," he said. "Some technological-know how, and it didn't hurt that there was a power plant in Surrey from before the war. We trade this and that for coal; every year or a caravan from Juneau comes down, gives us what we need in exchange for food."
"Amazing," Strabo said.
"All thanks to Greetimb," he replied. "Electricity is a luxury in the Wastes, but for Greetimb's brigands no expense is overlooked."
"What about the rest of the Van?" Strabo asked, only to be shot down sternly. "Those who do not embrace our ideology will not share the spoils of it." He said this matter-of-factly, with more than a hint of resentment in his tone.
Greetimb's Fort, was at the heart of Surrey, built from wood (much like Stanley) and located in the center of what had been a park. A sign from which the some of the letters had long faded, but the outlines of which were still visible, he made out the words, "Green Timbers Urban Forest," and by spelling out the remaining, unfaded letters understood where the term "Greetimb's Fort" came from, and from what he understood the origin of their leader's name.
There were, as Janus had been lead to believe, spikes with impaled heads surrounding Greetimb's Fort. The entire setup was actually quite devilish-looking, with three-meter high walls surrounding a central complex that towered over the rest of Surrey, made from a mixture of materials, decorated with the memorabilia from the Brigade's many wars. On the top of the building a fire burned, illuminating the night sky with it's warming, but slightly terrifying, glow. How have I never noticed this before? he thought, shaking his head.
Crowe opened the wide wooden doors into the building, leading them into a wide hall. He motioned for Janus and Strabo to go in, while the rest of the men stood outside in the courtyard. Inside the Fort a large round table sat, where bickering men sitting. The walls were adorned with loot taken from the tribes the Brigade had conquered. "My lords," Cramer said, bowing. "The delegation from Stanley."
"Delegation?" Janus asked Crowe. "Just go with it," he replied.
"Ah, finally," one man at the table said. "About time those damn Stans send someone our way."
"Commander Winters!" one said. "How dare you! These are honored guests, and should be treated with respect!"
"Well, Commander Henderson, I beg to differ! They claim the Van as their own, and as such should be eradicated alongside all the other tribes!"
"Quiet, both of you!" A booming voice roared. The man banged his fist against the table. Janus guessed that this guy was Greetimb.
"Yes, General Greetimb," Gavin said, bowing his head. "But I still think they should die!"
"I SAID QUIET!" He roared, drawing his rather menacing knife and stabbing it into the wooden table, which shook with the sudden force. Both Commanders cowered in fear from Greetimb's outburst. Finally silenced, the three men looked over to Janus and Strabo. Greetimb leaped from his seat, then stepped around the table, leaning against it as he addressed Janus and Strabo. "Well, boys, welcome to Surrey."
"Umm, yes. Thanks..." Janus said. "Mr. Greetimb-"
"Please, call me General Thomas Greetimb VIII."
Janus revoked for a second, then obliged. "Yes, General Thomas Greetimb VIII."
"On second thought, let's stick with The General."
"Very well…General."
"Now. What brings you – and your army – to Surrey?"
"The Blazers. A large contingent escaped from our assault on their base, and our intelligence suggests that they are camped out somewhere in Delta."
"Delta, huh? That's my territory. Why not let us take care of it?"
"The matter is of a…personal importance to my friend here. His wife, you see…"
General Greetimb stroked his Survivalist facial hair, frowning. "I don't like liars," he said.
"General Greetimb, I promise you, this is the truth-"
"No, it's not. Because the Blazers would have had to come through my territory to reach Delta, as I destroyed the bridge over Annacis Channel. And I would have known about that."
"Well…"
"And I also think you are here because of a certain mystical Vault, like the Brotherhood of Steel was?"
"How do you know about that?!" Janus said, before wishing he hadn't said a word.
"You really believe that I don't know? The only reason I haven't taken all the tech myself is because of all the radiation there. Nonetheless, I am very interested in the tech. And that's where you come in."
"What do you mean? Why would I do anything for you?!"
"Your not. Your doing it for your men," he said. Greetimb snapped his fingers and dozens of armed guards swamped into the room. Some took overwatch positions on the balconies. More rushed into the room from behind the Stans, surrounding them. Even Crowe withdrew a revolver and pointed it at Strabo's head.
The Vanguards drew their weapons, tightening their ranks, but Janus knew any fight would be futile. "Stand down," he ordered.
Strabo protested.
"Stand down!" He said again, authoritatively. He cursed under his breath, and Greetimb continued his monolouge.
"Your men, right now, are at my mercy. I could kill them all in an instant. I could make them slaves. Hell, I could make them all my bitches if I wanted too!" He laughed a deep, almost maniacal laugh, before continuing. "So your going to get the tech from that Vault for me, and in return I will let your friends here go. And then you can crawl back into that shithole of a town you call Stanley."
"How do I know you won't just kill my men after I get the tech?"
"Simple – you don't!" He laughed deeply again. "Ah, this is going to be so much fun!"