It was a trap.
They should have known it wouldn't be that easy, but even though they'd tried not to underestimate the cannibals, they were caught off guard, and it cost them greatly.
The eastern way was littered with traps: tripwires that set off fireworks with an ungodly power, exploding green chemicals in the air that rained down on the troops that set them off. This caused a reaction in the air and a radiation storm brewed, rumbling deep in the grey clouds above them. The rain that was coming down turned acidic and the air grew thick and sticky with the toxin.
The vertibirds were rendered useless before they even came into view of the quarry. Forced to land, they set off mines, killing troops and crippling the birds if not blowing them to pieces. Mines and traps took down the leading power armor ground troops, while the debris and body parts showered the foot soldiers behind them. The Brotherhood didn't break ranks, and continued forward, marching in and laying down a suppressing fire when the cannibals showed themselves, coming out of the green mist with masks and raideresque armor.
Madelyn was forced to watch from a distance, and couldn't see anything happening beyond the troops, but the distinct red glow of Brotherhood rifles and screams of the wounded told her just what was happening out of sight.
"Maddy," a soft, rough voice came from behind her, and Madelyn turned to look at Hancock who was watching from where he was strapped into the vertibird's bench seat. He wasn't allowed to move from there, and Madelyn had been advised by not only Maxson, but by Preston and Robert to stay close to him, and if nothing else, defend the bird they were in. She hated knowing Preston and Robert were out in that rad storm, soaking up radiation and possibly dying, but she wouldn't know for sure until everything was over, and that wouldn't be for a very, very long time.
"Yes?" she came to his side and knelt down.
"You should be down there fighting with them," he breathed and bit his lip. "I… I know shouldn't, but I'm going to give you something. It'll make the pain you take feel like a pinprick, and it'll make you feel like you can take on the world. You… won't even know the word fear," he shifted where he sat.
"John," she frowned when he pulled out a syringe she knew to be Psycho. "I… I shouldn't," she frowned and touched her stomach.
"One shot ain't gonna hurt ya," he promised and swallowed roughly. "I wouldn't suggest it if it would hurt you, Maddy."
"Okay," she took it and backed up a step. "I'll… I'll be back, I promise."
"General, my orders were to protect you," the lancer sitting in the pilot's chair turned and she looked between the lancers. They both looked disappointed, they would rather be fighting than babysitting, especially a ghoul.
"Protect him, because if he dies there's going to be hell to pay," she frowned at them. They shared a look, but she was already running toward the battle, hearing the cries of Brotherhood, Minuteman, and cannibal alike. Swears, victorious yells, and dying breaths.
A mine was set off beside her, throwing her sideways, and Madelyn hit the ground, landing beside a cluster of dead men. She gasped and tried to stand. Something grabbed her and she looked up to see it was a suit of power armor. Right when she felt relief, she was thrown harshly and she cried out, dropping the psycho as she hit a cliff wall. The armor came forward and lifted a laser rifle.
Another suit of Brotherhood armor came leaping forward, and threw a steel fist into the helmet, knocking it sideways. Madelyn gasped and pressed against the wall. What was happening? Brotherhood fighting Brotherhood? Had the cannibals gotten into the armor?
The second suit was knight ranked, while the one that had almost shot her was a paladin. The knight grabbed the rifle and threw it toward Madelyn. She grabbed it and held it ready while the power armor clashed loudly in a display of metal on metal wrestling. Red laser beams flashed through the air and occasionally a cannibal would step up, but both soldiers were locked in their own struggle.
It didn't take long, and the knight had the paladin down on its front. The standing power armor removed the fusion core and threw it far into the distance. Then they reached down and locked the armor closed by breaking the mechanism shut. It would take a powerful tool to open the suit back up, but the soldier would remain alive inside, and could not move. The knight looked up at Madelyn and she felt her heart pound in her chest.
"The fuck are you doing, Lynnie? I thought you were staying back at a bird?!"
Madelyn's breath left her in a relieved sigh at the sound of Reagan's voice distorted in the power armor. "I–" Maddy started and was cut off by someone coming up beside her and grabbing her laser rifle.
It was Inquisitor Dangerfield who was dressed in heavy, crudely painted black armor, and had a hand drawn Brotherhood insignia on the chest. It was blue and backwards, which confused Madelyn, but she looked back at his face, seeing that he had a gas mask from one of the cannibals covering his face instead of wearing a helmet. His steel eyes locked on her, then flicked to Reagan.
"They have a chemical that can turn you on your own men, and a sound that bends you to their will. Get back to the bird, and tell the lancers to relay this information. All suits need to be locked down to keep sound out, only the coms should remain on. And ground troops need to grab these," he gestured to the gas mask. "There's nothing you can do for the sound unless you have ear protection," he added and pointed to where she saw he had something plugged into his ear. It was a red thing linked by a wire behind the head. "It's also found on the cannibals. I cannot hear anything," he added when she opened her mouth to speak. "Go, now!" he pointed and she took off back toward the vertibird she'd come from.
That was why the paladin had attacked her, he'd been turned, and Reagan must have been informed by Dangerfield to lock out the sound in her suit so she couldn't be affected. Chemical warfare, and they had no idea. They had been given hints: the settlers disappearing with little fight. Now it seemed stupid obvious.
Madelyn ran through the battlefield and dodged the attacks coming from all sides. She barely made it back to the vertibird, and was surprised to find them already being given a mix of orders.
"Where is Maxson?" Madelyn growled and the pilot glanced at her.
"In the pit, he's been given a gas mask and ear protection, Inquisitor Dangerfield found him early on to secure him," he explained and then frowned a little. "Your men should be pulled."
"My men aren't going anywhere," she frowned and pointed at the fighting. "They're just as invested."
"All right," he sighed and she looked at Hancock.
"We should have known it was something biological," the ghoul breathed and she came to his side. "I shouldn't have given you that hit, what happened to it?"
"I dropped it," she confessed and wet her lips. "Probably a good thing, I haven't told you yet, I didn't want you to worry, but," she took a deep breath. "Robert and I are pregnant," she finally said and he blinked at her.
"Christ, Maddy, and you were going to take that Psycho? What's wrong with you?" he looked at her in shock and she nodded.
"I just… you said one wouldn't hurt, and I just–"
"I don't know what the hell it would do to a baby!" he frowned and gestured to her vaguely. "I thought you just might be nervous, I didn't realize…"
"Yeah," she looked back at the battlefield and tightened her grip on the handlebar she was holding onto. "I wish I could…"
A cannibal came running toward her with a strange gun in hand. Madelyn grabbed her ten-millimeter as he shot at her. Something stung her ears and she shook her head before firing on the man just as the pilot pulled his laser pistol and struck him in the head. He fell and Madelyn turned, looking at the pilot and then the co-pilot, feeling a wave of unease and hatred. She felt like she should shoot them before they shot her.
Madelyn wet her lips and stepped away from the bird, holding the gun up. She had half her rounds left in it.
"Maddy, what're you doing? They're on your side," Hancock said, and she looked at him. He was just trying to save his own hide, she knew. He was strapped down, there was nothing he could do, she could get the co-pilot at this angle…
"General?" Madelyn turned and nearly shot Preston in the chest, but he grabbed her wrist and pointed the gun away just as she pulled the trigger. "I'm sorry about this," he whispered and held something up to her face. When she took in a breath she smelled a sickly scent and everything went black.