Megaton had changed. Life had always been hard in the Wasteland, but the people of the scrap city had gone about their days with what could have passed for joy. Now, as Orion strolled through the gates, he could sense the air of hopelessness. He couldn't blame them. After all, it was he who had convinced them that the Brotherhood of Steel would be their salvation. The empty space at the bottom of the crater, where the Children of Atom once worshipped, was a testament to how wrong he had been. Orion wasn't wearing his power armor now. After getting the info he needed from Vault 101, he had trekked over to Vault 112. Before he left for The Pitt all those years ago, he had stashed his best gear in the hidden Vault. Now he was going to use it as a base of operations. He had left his power armor there for now, along with most of his weapons, which were unusual enough to draw attention to him. He had instead brought the MPLX Novasurge pistol, which although was more powerful and heavier than a normal Plasma Pistol, looked nearly identical and wouldn't be considered too unusual. He had been worried that his armored Vault 101 Jumpsuit would make him stand out, but Amata had assured him that ever since the Vault opened its doors, Moria at Craterside Supplies had been making a killing reinforcing their jumpsuits. So it was that The Lone Wanderer walked into the town he'd once thought of as home, and not one person paid a second glance to what they assumed was just another vault dweller.

.

Just like ten years ago, the best place in town to get information would be the bar. Gob's Saloon, as it was now called, was still one of Megaton's biggest attractions. Apparently, Nova had married Rory, the runaway slave, and they now had three children. Orion didn't regret murdering Colin Moriarty, the former proprietor, and to be honest nobody in town had mourned his passing. Gob was a much more amiable owner, and the drinks were cheaper and less watered-down than ever. Doc barked as he and Orion entered the premises, prompting the ghoul behind the bar to shout at them.

"Hey you, no dogs allowed in here!"

"Come on Gob, is that any way to treat an old friend?"

Orion took off his hat and grinned at the stunned ghoul.

"Orion? The Lone Wanderer has returned?"

Orion took a seat at the bar and shook Gob's hand. He as he ordered a glass of Scotch, a man approached him from behind. He was young, with dark skin and a thin mustache, and he was dressed in a sheriff's hat and duster.

"Howdy Orion" he muttered, as he took a seat beside the Wanderer.

"Harden. I was sorry to hear about your father's passing last year".

"I'm just sorry he was still around to watch those Brotherhood bastards slaughter all those people three years ago. If I didn't know better, I'd say it was the regret of not standing up to them that killed him".

Gob handed the young sheriff a bottle of Nuka-Cola, and after grabbing a beer for himself, the three of them toasted the memory of Lucas Simms. A steady line of people began to walk up and great Orion at the bar. Nova, Rory and their kids took a break from their work to welcome him back, as did Lucy West. Orion thought he saw her blush as she hugged him, and he wondered if she was also thinking of the night they'd spent together after he found her brother. Even Moria took a break from running the shop to run up and greet him, even trying to convince him to help her with another book. Eventually, the stream of admirers died down and allowed Orion and Harden to talk.

"I'm taking the fight to them, Harden. I'm the reason the Brotherhood is so powerful here in the Capital Wasteland. They've basically become the Enclave, after all that time fighting for the people here. If they know what's good for them, they'll run to the Commonwealth after Maxson before the war can really start. And mark my words, it will be a war".

Harden sighed and scratched his head under his hat.

"Look Orion, you know you've got my support, and the people here in Megaton would follow you to the death. But we're hopelessly outgunned. All the Brotherhood has to do is fly a couple of Vertibirds over here and rain lead down on the town and we'd be wiped out. We're with you in this war, but there's at least two things you need to do".

After Gob poured him another glass of Scotch, Orion motioned for the Sheriff to continue.

"We need weapons. Lots of high-quality weapons. And you need to do something to inspire people. If you could land a big hit against the Brotherhood, by yourself, it would show everyone that they aren't as invincible as they want us to believe".

"Alright, but I want something from you first. I don't think adding to the myth of The Lone Wanderer is going to make people believe they can rise up, and to be honest I'd rather have someone I know watching my back. Jericho, for instance".

"Alright, I'll grab the old raider and tell him to meet you at the gates. Good luck, Wanderer".

.

A short while later Jericho approached Orion and Doc in front of the gates. Grinning ear to ear, the years didn't seem to have taken much of a toll on the old raider. Dressed in a pristine condition set of leather armor, he carried a Chinese Assault Rifle over his shoulder.

"Long time no see, asshole"

They shook hands and exited the town, breathing in the dusty air of the Wasteland. They began walking east, around the side of the massive scrap metal wall. The occasional molerat raised its nose and sniffed as they passed, before apparently deciding that they were too big to be prey.

"Thanks for coming, Jericho".

"And miss the fight of the century? I would've tracked you down and knocked your lights out if you hadn't invited me".

A young woman suddenly ran up to them. She was covered in sweat, blood, and judging from the state of her eyes, tears. She dropped to her knees in front of the two men, panting heavily.

"Please…..raiders…wired…bomb…please…help".

Orion quickly ran towards her and pulled up her shirt, revealing a homemade explosive device tied around her stomach. He had seen raiders do this before. The first time his tampering had set the bomb off, the poor man throwing himself away so that the explosion that tore him apart wouldn't kill Orion too. After that, Orion had learned everything he could about defusing bombs, so as to never make that mistake again. This particular device wasn't very sophisticated though, and within a few seconds it dropped harmlessly to the ground. Jericho kept his rifle trained on the direction the woman had come from as Orion helped her to her feet.

"Can you keep running?" he asked.

She nodded. Her eyes were still wide with fear, and her hands refused to stop shaking from the adrenaline coursing through her system.

"Good. Run back the way we came as fast as you can until you reach Megaton. Ask for Sheriff Simms and tell him the Wanderer sent you to safety. Go now and don't look back".

Orion drew his pistol as the woman fled. He could already hear the shouts of the raiders. Thanks to the mutagenic bioenhancer Doc Lesko had given him in Grayditch, all of his senses had been enhanced beyond human limits, as well as giving him increased flame resistance. This allowed him to determine that there were five raiders coming their way. He held up his hand to Jericho with all fingers out, then pointed in the direction of the raiders. As the first one's head appeared over a small ridge, Jericho squeezed the trigger and let off a short burst of bullets. The raider's head snapped back as one of the bullets pierced his eye socket and punched through the back of his skull. The other four quickly appeared over the ridge too, charging towards their new prey. Doc lunged forward faster than any eye but Orion's could track. Before anyone knew what was happening, the massive dog had knocked a raider wielding a baseball bat to the ground and sunk his teeth into the man's throat. Orion let off two shots from the Novasurge, both finding their marks in the centre of the chests of two raiders who promptly dissolved into glowing green goo. Jericho pressed firmly on the trigger of his rifle, letting loose a spray of bullets that shredded the legs of the last raider. As he fell to the ground screaming, Doc let behind his first victim and closed his maw on the crippled raider's head, shaking him until his neck snapped.

.

Orion and Jericho both reloaded their weapons as they walked calmly towards the bodies. That was something the old raider had taught Orion when he was fresh and innocent out of the Vault. Reload every chance you get, don't get caught needing to reload in the middle of a firefight if you could avoid it. Petting Doc on the head, Orion pulled out a cloth and wiped the blood from the dog's mouth as Jericho looted the mangled and melted corpses of caps, ammo, chems or anything useful. When they were finished, they packed up the haul and continued east.

"So, where's the next stop in your righteous war, kid?"

Jericho lit up a cigarette as he waited for Orion's answer. In the afterglow of a battle, even if it was just a bunch of drugged up raiders, he felt more alive than he ever had living a safe and peaceful life in Megaton. That town may be where he lived, but the Wasteland, in all its brutal and lawless glory, was his home. He looked up at Orion to find the Wanderer smiling at him, an almost mischievous smile that Jericho hadn't seen in nearly a decade.

"The only place in the Wasteland with more rust than Megaton. Rivet City".