So considering the longer wait for the last chapter, I decided I'd do this quick follow-up to compensate. Sorry for the short length of this chapter. It seemed a lot longer when I first wrote it.

William and I followed Lyons into the functional section of the facility which, while showing signs of disrepair (plaster had fallen away in some places, exposing old wires and pipes, and the now-grey paint was peeling), was still an impressive show of organisation.

We were led into a rectangular room with two u-shaped tables surrounded by chairs. The room had the faint odor of cigarette smoke, and several ashtrays smoldered around.

"Please, have a seat," Lyons offered, sitting down and gesturing for us to sit down. "So, what do wish to discuss?"

"Elder Lyons," William spoke up. "I served as an Enclave sergeant for three years until my unit deserted a month ago. I've made an agreement with Overseer Moore, and we'd like to bring the Brotherhood into the fold."

"Our scouts have been trading fire with Talon Company soldiers for weeks now," I explained. "William's explained to me a plan for the Enclave and Talon Company to distract each other."

Elder Lyons and his daughter exchanged a glance, but said nothing about William's background. Instead, the Elder said, "Ah yes. I heard what you did in Megaton. Very selfless of you not to ask for a reward. So what exactly is this plan of yours?"

"The plan is to launch an attack against both Talon Company and the Enclave while posing as the other faction," explained William. "When both factions accuse the other of blindsiding them, Talon Company will surely take the bait and turn their attention fully to the Enclave. President Eden won't have a choice but to retaliate."

Lyons and his daughter exchanged another glance, but this time it was one of mild interest.

"The Enclave will have to fight on two fronts, and they'll drain resources and manpower as long as the Brotherhood keeps up it's fight. When it's over, Talon Company will surely be wiped out, and the Enclave will be in disarray. That's where I come; I intend to regroup the Enclave's forces and rebuild it for a new purpose."

"To what end?"

"I want the same thing you do, Elder Lyons; I want the people of the Wasteland to be safe, and I believe that our combined resources can make the Capital Wasteland and beyond a safer place."

Lyons, who had been leaning forward in his chair, sat back and frowned. "It's a solid plan, but I'm sure you understand that I'm hesitant to trust someone who was loyal to the Enclave, with all the blood that's been spilled."

"Of course sir," replied William. "I regret not acting sooner. The Enclave could do a lot of good, but they're currently an even bigger threat than you realize while Eden remains in power."

Lyons' frown deepened. "What do you mean?"

William took a breath before continuing. "I broke into the Enclave archives before I left and took what I could. Documents from 2276 and 2277 show that the Enclave is showing interest in the old Jefferson Memorial, the former lab of Project Purity."

I shifted in my seat, and noticed that Lyons did the same. I remember the talk I had with my father, about the work he did before I was born.

" Elder Lyons," I said, stammering slightly. "My father worked on Project Purity. Did you know him?"

"We did speak, on occasion," Lyons admitted, nodding. "He was a very good man. Is he well?"

"Yes sir," I said. "He's the Vault physician."

"I'm very glad to hear that. Please send him my regards. Now, back to the point, why is the Enclave interested in Project Purity?"

"They've created a modified version of FEV, the mutagen that creates the Super Mutants," William explained. "The new virus is lethal to anyone exposed to radiation. While the documents don't explicitly state it, I believe they intend to reactivate the purifier and poison the water with FEV."

"That'll kill everyone in the Wasteland!" Sarah Lyons exclaimed. "Father, we can't ignore this!"

"You're right, Sarah. We can't," Lyons agreed. "Assemble the Pride and secure the Memorial."

"Yes father," Sarah replied before leaving the room.

William withdrew the documents from the pouch at his side and handed them to Lyons, who looked them over carefully.

"It seems you are telling the truth," he said, handing the notes back. "Very well. What do you need?"

"We need at least three sets of Enclave power armor and three sets of Talon Company armor, along with weapons," I said. "The Enclave are camping to the north in Minefield. We can launch an assault and take what we need."

I paused. "William's men are being held captive there. I promised him I'd get them out alive."

"We'll make sure of it," Lyons assured me. "In order to keep Vault 101's involvement a secret, I suggest any men you intend to send out with us be trained to use power armor to avoid being recognized. Talk to Paladin Gunny before you leave. He'll give you what you need."

I felt hands pulling me to my feet, heard reassuring voices telling me it'll be alright. I stumbled down to the clinic, where I was lowered onto a bed. I felt numb the entire time, unable to think of anything but Wally's brains coming out the back of his head.

I sat at the bed, my head bowed. Susie and Gloria Mack rushed into the clinic later, accompanied by John and his wife Mary.

"Amata!" Susie said very quickly, rushing to my side. "We all heard gunfire. What happened? I've been asked about my father and Wally, but nobody's telling me anything. Are they-?"

She saw the despair and remorse in my face, and her face matched it. "No! No, no, no…"

I held my head in my hands to ashamed to meet her eyes. I expected confessions of hate, or a beating like I used to get from her. But she only said nothing.

"Susie, I'm so sorry," I managed to say, struggling to control my breathing. I failed, and began gasping again.

"What's happened?!" my father's voice drifted over to me. He was demanding an answer from James, who stood in front of the door.

"Alphonse, she's okay," he insisted.

No, I wasn't okay. Here I was, sitting on a clinic bed, shaking and clutching myself, unable to look anyone in the eye.

There wasn't any going back from what I'd done. People wouldn't look at me the same. Back before the Vault had opened, I'd never been a violent person, and the only thing that ever threaten my relationship with Ryan was his tendency to get into a brawl with Butch. Attacking someone, let alone killing them, just wasn't me.

My father had pushed past James and stormed into the clinic, looking around for me. I felt his eyes on me, but I couldn't life my head to meet them.

I felt Susie leave my side, only for my father to take her place. "Amata, what is it honey?"

That voice broke me. That was the voice he used whenever I thought my father had lost all love for me. The voice that reminded me that, for all his flaws, there was a spark of good inside him. A spark that, with Ryan's help, had turned into a flame.

"I…I killed Wally," I whispered, my empty stomach took another lurch. "Oh God. I killed a man."

"Why?" my father asked in a shaky voice. "What did he do?"

"He was going to kill Herman." I didn't address him by his title. Because at that moment, rank was meaningless to me. When I confessed, I saw Herman just as a fellow Vault dweller, another friend to look out for.

"Then you did what had to be done," my father said firmly, placing a hand on my shoulder. "And because of it, a husband and a father lived."

That was true, and it helped settle me down a bit. I let out a breath, and felt a little better.

"I…need to go check on Gloria," I said, composing myself and standing up. My legs felt like jelly, but I didn't sit back down.

"Amata," James spoke up. "That's not a good idea. Wait until you've cleared your head."

"No time," I said simply and shook my head, which didn't help. "Ryan will be back in a day or two, and I need to show him I'm on top of this."

James sighed and nodded before stepping aside. I stepped out of the clinic and took a minute to clean myself up a bit. My mouth had been partially open the whole time, and saliva had gone down my chin. I wiped it away and pushed my hair out of my eyes. I felt cold sweat on my face, and quickly rushed into the Ladies' room. The cold water on my face help calm me down a little, and I noticed from looking at my reflection that I hadn't shed a single tear. Maybe it was the shock.

"Amata!" Gloria Mack cried in relief, running over and hugging me. "I heard the gunfire and was so worried! Thank God you're safe. I…I heard about Wally…"

Her voice cracked, and a fresh wave of shame washed over me.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered, looking into her watery eyes. She'd been crying.

"It's not your fault," Gloria whispered back, managing a thin smile. "Wally just had too much of his father in him. Both my boys did…"

Her voice shook, and she was gasping for air. Behind me, Christine was sitting with Susie on the couch, while her parents looked on from their bedroom doorway in solemn silence.

"We…we can give him a proper burial," I told Gloria. "He was one of us. He deserves that."

Gloria gave another sad smile. "Thank you Amata."

"Mom, dad," said Christine. "Can Amata stay with us tonight?"

John Kendall looked at Gloria, then at Susie. Neither expressed complaint.

"Well if Amata wants to…" he murmured.

"G-Good," said Gloria. "Amata, please stay for dinner. You shouldn't be alone after today."

"Thanks guys," I said in gratitude. "I should just get cleaned up. I'll be back."

"I was told you could train my men and I to use power armor," I told the armor-clad soldier. His eyes narrowed.

"Lyons told me about you, Mr Big Shot Overseer," he said gruffly. "Yes, I can give you training that these initiates have worked their asses off for, not that I like it. Follow me."

The soldier, who introduced himself as Paladin Gunny, led me over to a power armor station, from which a set of T-45b power armor hang. The back of the armor was open, allowing someone of the right build to enter the suit and let it close around them.

"This is the T-45b armor set," Gunny explained. "It's an older model, and a bit bulky, but it does the job."

"I know, I've read about them," I replied. Upon seeing Gunny's inquiring look, I added, "I studied American military history and engineering back in the Vault. I learned all about power armor."

"Smarty-pants, huh? Okay, lose the vest and step inside."

I complied and removed the security vest, then stepped into the power armor. It closed around my body, and my vision was limited to the helmet's visor.

"Okay," came Gunny's voice, a little faint. "I'm activating the power supply."

My vision suddenly became whole again, text scrolling across my eyes. I remembered the tiny camera mounted on the helmet, and realized that it must have been transmitting to the visor. The text disappeared, and Paladin Gunny stepped in front of me.

"Okay, first thing is to relax. Take a deep breath, if that helps. And while we're on the subject, that helmet can filter out most, but not all, radiation and toxins."

I took a deep breath, and relaxed my muscles.

"Okay."

"Good. Now just let the suit do the work. The armor's designed to take most of the effort off of you. Try and step forward.

I tried to move my leg. To my surprise, I was able to step forward.

"Okay, good," said Gunny. "Try and walk around for a bit. Remember to relax whenever you enter the armor."

I did as he asked and took a short walk around. A few of the Initiates glanced at me in jealousy. The armor didn't feel heavy in the slightest, and I wasn't even particularly strong.

"Lucky you," Gunny said. "most guys take a few days to even get one foot off the ground."

"Maybe I'm Superman," I said sarcastically, smirking inside the armor.

"Smartass. Alright, walk back to the station and I'll open it up for you."

I returned to my place, and Gunny stepped behind me to power off the armor and let me out. There was a hiss as the back opened up and I stepped away.

"In case you ever do get your own suit, you can use your Pip-Boy to interface with it. It's one of the perks of having a pre-war suit," Gunny told me.

"Thanks for the advice. I'll even let you borrow my T-51b set," I joked, smirking again.

Through the glare, Gunny gave a tiny smile. "Don't push your luck, kid."

We left the Citadel the same day we arrived and made it back to the Vault by morning. An Officer was stationed outside the barricade, and I made a mental note to get Stanley to draft up some blueprints.

"Sir," the guard said. "Acting Overseer Almodovar requests your presence in the operations room immediately, and alone."

"Is something wrong?" I asked, feeling that the guard was holding something back.

"There was a…situation yesterday, sir," the guard said, looking grim. "I think you should hear it from Amata."

Amata was sitting at the Overseer's desk when I walked in. The state she was in terrified me. She was pale for one thing. And she'd clearly been crying. She was hugging herself in the way one does when they just want to turn away from everything.

"Leave us," she said shakily to the two guards stationed outside. "And shut the door."

The door hissed shut behind them, leaving us alone.

"What's happened?"

"Ryan…I…." she began. She gulped and took a breath, and continued, "There was a fight yesterday. Allen and Wally Mack attacked the security guards. Wally was attacking Herman and…I shot him."

For a moment, I simply stood there to process what she'd said. I had to word this carefully. After what had happened with Paul Hannon, I could imagine the state she was in.

"Amata," I said, kneeling down to be at her level. "What you did, it was what true leaders do. True leaders do the hard thing for the right reasons, and that's exactly what you did. It was the hard thing, but you saved a man's life by doing it."

Some color went back into Amata's eyes, and she found the strength to stand up. "I just…I just feel that…"

She struggled to find the words, but I knew what she meant.

"Like you could have saved more lives," I finished for her. she nodded. "I know the feeling. When Paul Hannon died, I couldn't help but think that I could have done it differently, that maybe Paul didn't have to die."

Amata stopped shaking, and asked the only question that mattered.

"Ryan, can I come back from this?"

Without a second thought, I pulled her into a tight hug. "Yes, you can. And you will. Because I will always stand with you, no matter how hopeless it may seem. I'll stay with you…help you learn how to forgive yourself, and you'll be stronger for it."

I didn't send her back to her room that night. Instead, I allowed her to share my bed. In her sleep, she held onto me like a lifeline, and I felt that sense of peace that I always felt whenever I was close to her. All the worries of the Wasteland vanished, and I drifted off to sleep.