Hey guys sorry about the wait, but since I've started TAFE I've had so little time to commit to this story, so much so that I had to cut this chapter short, I have been fighting some serious writer's block on this one and I hope the story hasn't suffered for it, but the WRM will live on! I will finish! P.S. thank you to everyone who has added this story to your favourites, it's the reason I am determined to finish this story. Please feedback, ideas etc. you know the drill.
(Captain's Quarters)
The Captain had called a meeting of the WRM leadership in his personal quarters to discuss the grave matter of the Outcast situation.
"Ha flush!" The Captain said as he laid his poker cards on the makeshift poker table in his room. Elliot and Bigsley groaned as the Captain took the large of caps and added to the small pile in front of him.
"Damn it, how the hell do you beat a crazy person at cards!" Elliot moaned as he counted his dwindling pile of caps. "Anyway, Pitt's stable but he's slipped into a coma, remarkable that he's still alive, it's just a matter of waiting at this point really."
"Say what you want that crazy routine is an act to cheat me out of my caps" Bigsley grumbled as he took a shot of whisky which the Captain had laid out for the occasion. "Well in any case the saucers are preforming spectacularly and the robots are doing just as well. Only thing is we can't reproduce the saucers like we can the robots, the design is just far too complex."
"Okay first, what the hell are you to talking about? I'm not crazy, I'm lovably quirky, secondly; Elliot I want regular reports sent to me via the newly installed terminals, I want to know when that boy wakes up, I'll be damned if we lose all of Bravo squadron on one botched mission. Bigsley if memory serves me correctly we have forty two of the saucers in the hangar space? Right then get Olin and a crew to dismantle one and see if they can't reverse engineer it. So Elliot the deal is yours correct?" The three men continued their game and their discussion, if Casdin's terminal was right and the original Brotherhood was coming to town a plan would needed to be formed.
(Cryogenics Lab)
Jackal sat next to Pitt who laid perfectly still, medical tubes running out of his arms, various machines beeping around him. Elliot had taken it upon himself to treat Pitt which gave Jackal some measure of reassurance, but seeing his friend like this still gave him chills. Jackal hadn't left the chair for… he didn't even know how long, there were no clocks there and seeing the sun while in space didn't give him much indication of the time. His squad would occasionally visit him, partly to pay respects to Pitt, mostly to check up on him, Sally brought him food, talking about the nutrition lessons Elliot gave her, at one point even Toshiro Kago came by, seeing his pupil in such a way seemed to sadden the samurai, who's normal stoic face seemed slightly softer and sullen, who brought a pillow for Jackal to sit on, making the cold steel chair slightly more comfortable.
"You know Mr Elliot really knows what he's doing" Sally casually said as she sat in a chair opposite Jackal, kicking her legs as they dangled above the ground while she stared at Pitt with a childish fascination at the battered boy. "One time, before the Captain was the Captain he got really mangled up, something about his brain, Mr Elliot fixed him up and he's been really happy ever since." Jackal was interested at what Sally said; maybe he was just desperate to be distracted from the mangled form of his friend lying just inches in front of him.
"What was he like before?" Jackal quietly asked
"Kinda like you, he didn't really talk much, always looked at stuff like he was thinking about what they were made of or how he could use it, I think he was sad about something but he never talked about it, and he was really scary when he was fighting the aliens. Not at all like the radio makes him sound like, but I still like the show, it's even better than Captain Cosmos!"
"Have you ever seen such a lazy girl in your entire life I wonder?" The Captain chuckled as the two jumped at the sound of his deep voice. "You young lady were supposed to report to Olin ten minutes ago, you're the one who asked to start an apprenticeship with her. I'd hurry along now before she decides to hunt you down." The Captain laughed as a very flustered Sally rushed out of the lab and took her place besides Pitt and simply sat with his right leg on his left knee as he stared at Pitt. "So how are doing kid?" he finally said after ten minutes of silent contemplation.
"I've been better" Jackal mumbled
"Yes I know the feeling; it's never easy seeing a friend you've fought alongside with so… helpless"
"Did they make It, your friend I mean?"
"Yes"
"How did it happen?"
"Well I could tell you but why don't you hear glamorous version first, I believe Elliot had a radio installed for the waiting patients to listen to and you can decide if you want to hear the boring version yourself." With that the Captain took his leave, leaving a confused Jackal to find the control for the radio without pressing a button that would kill someone.
"Hello Capital Wasteland and welcome to G.N.R! It has been crazy in our big old wasteland as of late children and here to keep you up to date is the news. Reports of the Fort Constantine palaver is somewhat varied due to a lack of up close witnesses but what we have established is that the WRM and Outcasts have butted heads, with the WRM coming out on top, scattered reports say that bright shining lights could be seen for miles in the direction of the secluded fort, it has yet to be confirmed what made the light but in a surprising turn of events an official statement was sent to yours truly by the WRM head of technology Restoration Chief Bigsley, the pre-recorded statement shall now be played for you, stay tuned kiddies this is important!"
"Hello people of DC I Restoration Chief Bigsley of the WRM am here to tell you that the incident between the Outcasts has been resolved and that there is no need for panic. But all citizens are to avoid both Fort Independence and Fort Constantine while WRM conducts a clean-up effort to ensure that no hazardous materials can harm or be used to harm civilians, penalties for ignoring this warning can be anywhere from imprisonment to being shot on sight, we thank you for your cooperation and remind you that we act in the interest of your defence."
"Well you heard him kiddies steer clear of Fort Independence and Constantine or risk a laser in the ass! Now back to our regular programing."
"You're listening to the adventures of the Lone Wanderer played by knight sergeant Wilks of the GNR detachment of the Brotherhood of steel, today's episode: The sacrifice.
"Damn and here I thought that detestable Col. Autumn was my biggest problem." The Wanderer Cursed as alarms rang throughout Project Purity.
"God damn cowards can't even loose like men sir!" A robotic voice grumbled in a military like tone
"Quite right Sergeant RL-3, quite right indeed."
"There's no time to for bad mouthing, somebody needs to go in there and get this thing going!" the familiar breathy voice of the actor playing Sarah Lyons said with urgency.
"Hmm, well this is a pickle, but never fear I will go in and save the day!"
"But you'll die!"
"Maybe my dear, but if I don't do this, the wasteland dies, my father gave everything to stop that, it would simply be bad form for me not to follow" The Wanderer chuckled gravely.
"I'll never forget you, you brave man."
"It was an honour miss Lyons, Sergeant."
"Sir this soldier is proud to have met you"
"Well this is it do or die!"
"Tune in next time to hear season two of the Lone Wanderer's adventures: a journey to Point Lookout."
Jackal had fallen asleep in his chair; head resting on his arms, arms on the table which Pitt had his deep sleep on. Elliot walked by and put a blanket on Jackal, nodding his head as he knew this was going to be the first of many nights spent in this cold lab.
(Citadel)
Sarah and the Pride had been sent out to thin the supermutant numbers a bit, try to remind the people that the Brotherhood still existed. Lyons couldn't deny that the WRM got results, raiders, supermutants… and now the outcasts; one by one DC was being… tamed, the people eagerly listened to GNR for news of this new superpower led by the legend of DC, forgetting that the Brotherhood delivered their water, fought off the supermutants while they slept and were the last line of defence when the Enclave came to take over, it would seem that the Brotherhood was becoming as useless as Lyons himself felt.
"Liberty Prime is coming along well enough, the body is functional but it's the software that's proving to be difficult, as hard as we try we just can't seem to create a working replacement for the communist hating personality, but the rest is coming along all right."
"Good, good." Lyons sat back in his chair, for the first time in a very long time he was beginning to feel that the end was in sight, for good or for ill; the brotherhood was finally going to get its respite. The conversation was abruptly ended when a young scribe broke into Lyons' chambers.
"Sir it, it's the western Brotherhood, they've come in force and are demanding you stand down immediately!" The scribe stood there awkwardly as both Lyons and Rothchild simply sighed, two old men who knew that they would have to answer for helping people eventually.
"Well that's not very convenient" Rothchild grumbled. "I guess we'll just have to make do with the anti-communist propaganda for a bit longer"
(Fort Bannister)
The Western Brotherhood had no problem occupying the abandoned fort, once upon a time it was the base of the Talon Company, long since dead, it was now buzzing with activity, men and women in T51-B power armor and red scribe robes zipping about, fortifying, restoring, preparing. They arrived in vertibirds, disintegrating anybody unfortunate enough to stumble near them, raider and wastelander alike, cut down to avoid premature detection. Inside a young man barely twenty five sat smugly on a chair as he watched the people pass by, he wore blue robes identical to Lyons'. He was Elder (ironic) Sebastian Mason, one of the most brutal members of the entire Brotherhood of steel, one part fanatic, two parts gangster and whole lot of crazy thrown into the mix. Born to a devoted paladin Sebastian inherited the basic level brainwashing that all members are subjected to, but Sebastian was far more interested in the 'true owners of the world' part, where most simply saw technology as theirs by right Sebastian though 'why not everything else' an attitude that fuelled his historic rise through the ranks, bribes, extortion, blackmail, murder and so much more led him to this point. His arrogance was tempered by his intelligence, he knew Lyons would not simply lie down and die, he was preparing for a single attack that would wipe them out in a single stroke, and after that he would turn his attention towards the WRM, their technology would be useful in asserting dominance back west.
(Captain's Quarters)
The Captain heard the message sent to Lyon's brotherhood through a listening device he had ISO plant for him; he leaned back in his chair and sighed. He knew the Brotherhood was falling apart piece by piece, with every catastrophe they were only weakened and now the people he fought alongside was facing complete destruction.
"I hope I didn't forget anything at the Citadel, damn I'm never seeing that laser pistol again am I?"
He turned to a newly installed monitor in his room and saw a young man in blue robes sitting smugly in a chair as what appeared to be subordinates scurried about doing all of the work. One of the subordinates addressed him as elder Mason, something which the Captain found a little ironic.
"McGraw would you be so kind as to report to my quarters please? We have another war to plan"