Hey, back again. I want to thank my reviewers for their words. Before you ask, yes I changed the title. Why? I didn't like it. It was a title I thought up almost a year ago, and I decided I wanted to change it, so there. Ok, more stuff happens, LW meets Brotherhood, DC Brotherhood gets called in, but probably won't show up for a while. I don't own Fallout.
Greetings from The Humungus! The Lord Humungus! The Warrior of the Wasteland! The Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla! -Toady
Bruce looked at the people around him. A man, a woman, and a ghoul. These represented some of his only friends right now. Not to mention the sick boy propped up against the wall right now. They had to get him to a doctor, or the massive dose of radiation he absorbed would either kill him or mutate him.
"Veronica, do you think Avery and yourself might make it to the Brotherhood without me? I have to send a message to my superiors." The girl looked deep in thought.
"Maybe, but it would be risky. But we'll try."
"Okay, thanks. I figure he has about an hour before the drug wears off and the rads kick back in." Avery nodded, Bruce helped him put the boy on his back, the power armor doing wonders. They left, and Bruce turned to his new friend.
"Okay, boss. I'm pretty sure this will go straight to DC. But it'll only be on actual radio, they can't talk back." Bruce nodded.
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Half a world away, in the growing region of the Capitol, many radios suddenly cut out the music Three Dog had been playing. A voice came on, a voice many knew and loved.
"Hear me, Brothers. The war with the NCR goes badly, the Western Brotherhood has been driven into hiding. They need our assisstance. Send the Pitt Bezerkers, send the Hellfire troopers, send anybody. Send in the Prime." The transmission suddenly cut out, and the old songs started playing again.
In the courtyard of what had once been the US Pentagon, the Brotherhood had scrambled into action. A old man in blue robes stood on a balcony overlooking the courtyard.
"It's time for the Brotherhood to go to war. As much as I am pained to admit it." A figure emerged from the shadows, wearing battered power armor that had been repaired with what looked like junk.
"It was only a matter of time, Owyn. We knew the NCR would grow too large to control. You did the right thing with the chapter. We have grown strong, and we are keeping the wasteland safe."
"Indeed. I must attend to my own wargear. I intend to go. Casdin and yourself will be in charge."
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Unknown to Raul and Bruce the message was also heard across the Mojave; an old man sitting on a balcony at a Pre-War golf resort, a mechanical messiah in a casino that hadn't been opened since the Great War, and the son of Mars in his Fort across the river. They pondered this in their heads, each coming to a different conclusion. Robert House was the only one that knew what "The Prime" might be, his company helped to create it. But he was not worried, simply another card in the deck. And he had an ace up his probervial sleeve.
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Bruce turned back to Raul. Raul nodded and turned the radio off. They both walked out into the cool Mojave air, enjoying the feel of it.
"Boss, how is the capitol these days?"
"Its amazing, Raul. What we've been able to do in just four short years. We've almost wiped out the hostile Super Mutants, making the whole place safer. We have fresh water, a few working factories in what's left of Pittsburgh. We actually have manufacturing capability. Slavery and raiders have all but become extinct."
"Sounds good, boss."
"Hey, we better see if we can find that bunker. They're probably waiting on us."
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The fire ant exploded in a shower of bug guts as the shells slammed into them. Wez had strapped his crossbow to his back, using his shotgun against the bugs. He was on a metal catwalk in the Boomers' power station, looking at the floor below. Many of the pests had heard the gunshots and were coming to investigate. He grinned as he reloaded his shotgun, willing the ants to come to him so he could kill them.
One of the Boomers, a young man named Leeroy, watched as the half-mad man slaughtered the bugs. Leeroy cradled a grenade launcher in his arms, no use to him because of his lack of ammunition. He had leapt across a small gap in the catwalk to an office or something. He let out a small yell as he heard the shotgun again. He heard bootsteps coming towards him.
Wez rounded the corner to see a young Boomer huddled in the corner of what looked like an observation post. He cradled a pristine grenade launcher in his hands, and Wez had just fount a sack full on one of the dead Boomers in the entrance. He leapt over to the Boomer, who had a small smile on his face.
"Have you come to save me?" The mohawked man smiled, but it was the smile of a predator eyeing prey. A jab to the throat caught the Boomer unaware, causing him to drop the launcher. Wez picked him up, the large muscles in his arms flexing as he did so. He dangled the Boomer above the gap, laughing as the Boomer tried to escape. Wez let go, watching as the Boomer landed on his legs, not killing him, but cripling him. The ants began to close in, and Wez smiled as the symphony of pain and terror began to play.
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Bruce and Raul had made it down the mountain, only needing to stop to kill a few centaurs. The mutated creatures were no match for Bruce, and the deadeye of Raul. Several bunkers littered the area of the valley, most of them painted with anti-war graffiti. A lot of good it did them. Bruce was about to suggest searching all the bunkers when he heard the familiar whir of power armor. He turned to see a small group of Brotherhood soldiers approaching.
"Stop right there, local. Why are you here?" Bruce chuckled.
"I'm not a local, I'm a member." He reached under his shirt and pulled out a Brotherhood holotag. One of the Paladins stepped forward, examing it.
"It's authentic. Are you really from DC?"
"Yeah, my chapter has helped transform it from a festering hole to a jewel of the East." The other Paladins looked at each other.
"Well, you may come with us. But, be warned, we will tolerate no threats." He looked at Raul as he said it. Both Bruce and Raul nodded, following the Paladins into one of the bunkers. They walked into a small hall, with another steel blast door in front of them. One of the Paladins said something into the intercom and the door opened. Another set of steps and they were in the bunker. A helmetless Paladin stood there, a man of Hispanic descent, short black hair and a close cropped black beard.
"Paladin Ramos, head of security. I've had word from Veronica you were coming. She said you and you're companions were from Washington DC. Is that true?" Bruce nodded as he held out his hand.
"Bruce Williams, Paladin-Colonel. It's weird, I know. I have a joint command. Yeah, I'm part of Elder Lyons' chapter."
"Okay, Elder McNamara wishes to speak with you as well. You're...friend here will be taken to Veronica and the others." Bruce nodded as Ramos began to walk. Another Paladin motioned for Raul to follow. Bruce followed Ramos through the bunker, some of them staring at him, and especially the Enclave hat he wore. Most of them recognized the symbol when they saw it. They walked through another large blast door, into a small room with two exits. One led to a bank of terminals, and the other to who knows where. As he began to really look at it, he noticed how much it looked like the inside of Raven Rock. He shuddered at the memory.
"Hey, Ramos. This place doesn't have a ZAX computer in it, does it?" The other Paladin looked at him funny.
"No, why?" Bruce let out a sigh of relief.
"No reason."
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Across the Wastes at Nellis, Raquel and Pearl were still talking about the new arrival, when all of a sudden the power came back on.
"I think he finished you're mission, Raquel." The younger woman just mumbled and walked outside. She saw the black armored figure approaching from the power station. Several Boomer children ran up to, they had never seen a non-Boomer before. Wez snarled at them, making them all run away.
"The power is on, woman. What must I do next?" Raquel frowned at his lack of respect, but figured there was nothing she could do now. It was his parents fault.
"Go to the hangar and speak with Loyal. I belive he had a mission for you." Grumbling slightly, Wez walked towards the massive hangars. He opened the door to the one she indicated and walked inside. The reamains of an old airplane, a bomber if he remembered right, lay across the hangar floor. An old man, and a man in his twenties looked up as he entered.
"Old man, the girl said you needed my help?" The old man frowned at being called so, but walked over to Wez anyway.
"Yep, outsider. The solar panels on the power station, some of them are damaged. So, obviously, they're not working at their peak. We need you to fix them." The old man, Loyal, walked back over to the young man, helping him with something. Wez said nothing else, he just grabbed a nearby toolbox and walked back outside. He set off towards the array, again.
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Charlie and Boone made their way from Vegas past the Crimson Caravan headquarters. They had met with Ambassador Crocker, and he had sent them to enlist the aid of a band of tribals known as the Boomers. They walked in silence, until Boone just stopped.
"Hey, look over there." It was the remains of a small campfire. Three bodies laid around it. Two men and a woman. The men looked like their throats had been crushed, and the woman's throat had been slit. It looked like she had done it to herself, and after a little investigation, it wasn't hard to see why.
"Who do you think did this, Boone? It's too close to Vegas to be raiders, Fiends to come out this way. It's too far north to be Legion." Boone just shook his head. Charlie shrugged and they set off again, pocketing a few drugs they had picked off the bodies. Charlie didn't partake himself, but you can always sell them. They continued following the directions from Charlie's PiPBoy, starting up a small incline. They passed another corpse, this one of a rather well dressed man. His chest had been torn apart by a large caliber gun of some kind.
"It was a shotgun, Charlie. I'm sure of it." Charlie nodded, and motioned for him to follow. They got to the top of the hill; ruined houses and burned out cars sat as a monument to the sins of man. Several large structures further on caught Charlie's eye. He nudged Boone and they started walking. Soon they heard a loud poof, and something whistling. Behind his shades, Boone's eyes widened. He threw Charlie into an old crater as a shell crashed down behind them. They both stood up and began running as fast as they could towards the gate. They saw several guards, all armed with missile launchers and the like. They noticed the two running figures and would have fired if not for the young woman in combat armor.
Charlie and Boone slammed into the gate, making it rattle harshly. The guards had their weapons aimed at the duo, as did the woman in the armor. Charlie noticed the rest of them all wore modified Vault jumpsuits, with military jackets and various medals decorating them. The woman stepped forward.
"More outsiders. Who are you?"
"I'm Charlie Two-Shirts, a freelancer, and this is Craig Boone, a former 1st Recon sniper."
"Ah, you must be here to join your companion." Charlie and Boone looked at one another. Somebody was already here? Crocker had said something about them blowing up any outsider who got close. Charlie decided to play along.
"Yeah. We had a small errand to run before we could catch him." The woman nodded.
"Okay. I am Raquel, Master-at-Arms. Follow me." They followed the woman as she lead them down a cracked runway. She led them past two large hangars, both had been repaired with spare tin and other materials. They walked past several military issue tents, and past several small gardens. Charlie could see that they were now walking towards a small building with several solar arrays on the roof. As they got closer they could see a black armored man up on the roof. He was working on one of the arrays, swearing rather loudly.
"Wez! Come here for a minute." The man, Wez, looked up, glaring at the woman. He stood up and walked down the set of old metal stairs attached to the side of the building.
"Woman, some of these are beyond repair. I've taken the most damaged ones apart and used them to fix the others. But I will need spare parts, and they are not here." He seemed to notice the other two for the first time. "Who are these?"
"I'm Charlie Two-Shirts, and this is Craig Boone." Charlie noticed Raquel look at them rather angrily.
"I thought you said you knew each other. I thought you were Legion, like Wez." Charlie looked at the mohawked man, while Boone narrowed his eyes behind his sunglasses. Wez just smiled, like a deathclaw that swallowed the brahmin.
"I know you are no NCR degenerate, tribal. But this one." He motioned at Boone. "I could smell the stink of California on him from a mile away." Boone glared at the laughing man, his hand slowly reaching towards his sidearm. Charlie noticed and tried to difuse the situation.
"Indeed, Mr Wez, I am not NCR, but neither is he anymore. But tell, you don't look like Legion." Wez smirked.
"You men why am I not trying to crucify you, or hack you to death with a machete? I'm just a merc for the Legion. Caesar pays good."
"Why not work for the NCR then? They would pay well for a man like you." Wez, his former mirth gone, glared at Charlie.
"You have no idea how right you are, tribal. They would pay a great deal to have a man like me. In front of a firing squad." With all the quickness of a desert snake, the mohawked man delivered a right hook into Boone's jaw, knocking the beret off his head. A follow up kick to Charlie's gut knocked the courier down. Before either could recover Wez had his shotgun pointed at both of them. Raquel just looked shocked.
"Woman, take their weapons and and lock them up someplace."
"But -."
"Shut up, bitch! If you still want my help then you'll do as I fucking say! Or so help me God I'll kill everybody in this fucking place and then I'll burn it to the ground and piss on the ashes!" The woman seemed almost frightened by the man's outburst, even though she had the bigger weapon, and if she disarmed him then she would have backup from the other two. But in the end she just nodded, and motioned for the two captives to walk. Charlie looked over at Boone. A large red welt was growing on his jaw, and Charlie would probably have a boot print on his stomach for a week.
"Now what?"
"It was your idea to come here." Behind them, Wez was picking up Boone's 1st Recon beret. He twirled it in his hands, before placing it in his belt pouch. Maybe the old man would know where to get spare parts.
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Bruce and Paladin Ramos stood before a small raised dais, were a white haired man sat behind a desk not unlike an Overseer's desk in a Vault. Avery, and a much healthier looking Arthur stood next to large map of the Mojave area on the wall. The Elder was looking at Bruce, almost glaring at him.
"Greetings, Elder McNamara. I am Paladin-Colonel Williams, of the United States of DC. We've come to your aid." The white haired man continued to glare at him.
"Of course you did. We heard your radio call to DC. You're going to call attention to us, and the NCR is going to wipe us out." Bruce chuckled a little.
"Elder, the NCR is much to busy trying to win a war with something called the Legion. From what Veronica has told me they are streched way to thin to be able to hunt us at the same time." He noticed the Elder visably relaxed as he had exlpained it.
"You might be right. And it would be nice to return to our former glory. Hardin!" Out of a small side chamber came a man in power armor, T-51b if Bruce wasn't mistaken. The man had his receding hair in a combover, looking like a Pre-War business man.
"Yes Elder?"
"Give our young friend here that suit of power armor I keep in my quarters. He will need it more than I." The Paladin motioned for Bruce to follow him. He led bruce into a small room, a suit of T-45d laid out on the table. The Paladin left without saying a word, leaving Bruce alone. He wasn't much for wearing power armor, as it restricted his movements in combat, but he wasn't going to refuse a gift like this. He quickly stripped off his outer clothes, laying them on a chair, and began pulling on the power armor. Soon he was fully clad, except for the helmet, which hung on his belt. He walked back out to the main chamber.
"Thank you for this gift, Elder. Is there anything you need help with around here?"
"As a matter of fact there is. Go speak with Senior Knight Lorenzo, in the workshop. Tell him I sent you." Bruce nodded, and motioned for Avery and Arthur to follow.
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Ok, that's that. What did you think? Wez met the Courier and Boone, and Bruce met the Mojave Brotherhood. Now, I still don't know if I wanna do the DLCs or not yet, so I want you all to tell me. Any other pointers would be appreciated. Thank you all, and don't forget to comment.