A few days after leaving Rivet City, Orion and his companions found themselves in the ghoul city of Underworld. Griffon still had his stall set up by the entrance, peddling his "Aqua Cura", but the con man wasn't who the Wanderer was here to see. Making their way inside, the group headed towards the Ninth Circle.
"Damn ghouls give me the creeps, man" muttered Butch.
He was quickly quietened by a glare from Orion. Butch had spent the last decade as a mercenary, usually protecting caravans or clearing ghouls from the metro system. It was a far cry from the glamorous gang lifestyle he had envisioned when he left the vault. He still wore his tunnel snakes outfit, and never parted from his trusty switchblade. He had upgraded his gun from a 10mm pistol to a sawn-off shotgun though, and was known for using it recklessly. As they neared the bar, the ghouls of Underworld stopped what they were doing and stared. It had been a long time since any humans had ventured into the City of the Dead.
Orion nearly did a double-take when he saw who was behind the bar. His mind flashed back to a night in the Weatherly Hotel in Rivet City. A night of passion after an adventure. They'd spent their caps on good Scotch, and she'd cried in his arms over the death of her father all those years ago. A callous treasure hunter, finding comfort in an idealistic Knight of the Brotherhood of Steel. Times had changed though. Orion was no longer with the Brotherhood, and his idealism had been dampened somewhat by the trials of Wasteland life. The woman in front of him hadn't gone treasure hunting in years. With his voice repaired by Pinkerton, Orion was able to utter two words.
"Hello Sydney".
She looked up and gasped. It was like seeing a ghost. Sure, his hair was a bit messier and his beard was much thicker, and there were faint lines on his face that hadn't been there 10 years ago, but aside from that it was the same Lone Wanderer who had helped her find the Declaration of Independence. She sprinted from around the bar and tackled him with a hug that knocked the wind from his robotic lungs.
"Christ, Orion, where have you been?!"
"That's a long story Syd, how about we grab some drinks? By the way, are Charon and Fawkes still around?"
Releasing her arms from around Orion's neck, Sydney moved back to the bar and grabbed the oldest bottle of Scotch she could find. Orion grinned as she poured four glasses.
"You remember"
"I never forget a man with good taste" she winked, "Charon became Underworld's Sheriff after you left, made Fawkes his deputy. I'm sure they'll arrive in here soon, people notice when the Lone Wanderer strolls into town".
Jericho and Butch had already heard most of the details of Orion's life since he left the D.C area, but they sat quietly and sipped their Scotch as he recounted his journey to the Pitt, how he organised the ex-slaves into a decent fighting force, got the Pitt's ammunition based economy properly off the ground and began his research into the Cure. By the time he'd finished, the four had finished the bottle of Scotch and started on another.
Just then, the doors of the Ninth Circle opened and Charon and Fawkes walked in. The tall ghoul was the only person Orion had ever seen who came anywhere near the height of the hulking super mutant, or "Metahuman", as Fawkes preferred. Orion stood and embraced his former companions. Fawkes nearly crushed him in his joy.
"My friend, it is good to see you after all these years!"
When everyone had become reacquainted, and Sydney had poured another glass of Scotch for Charon and grabbed a Nuka Cola for Fawkes, they began to discuss the reason Orion had come to Underworld.
"I need your help guys. I can't take on the Brotherhood by myself, and the settlements are so beaten down that they don't have the spirit left to rise up. Somebody needs to take the fight to them".
"Say no more, my friend" replied Fawkes.
"We're in" agreed Charon "I'm sure Cerberus can deal with any trouble while we're gone, and Sydney has enough firepower in the back to supply the entire city".
Orion smiled at them all. Even after he had burned Charon's contract, the ghoul still held onto his code of honour and loyalty. And Fawkes would do anything to help, it was just in his nature. Jericho and Butch may just like the idea of a fight, but they were still good men. Now there were only two names left to cross off his list. One would be easy to find, but harder to convince. The other, Orion only had a rumour of where she was, but he had no doubt that she would be on board. His plan was coming together nicely, but he could only hope that the rest of the journey would go as smoothly.
.
Star Paladin Cross waited anxiously by the long range radio set up in the Citadel's lab. At this time, once a week every week, the Prydwen would contact the Citadel for a report. Elder Maxson had a great love for reports. Every week, Cross waited by the radio, in the fear that the Elder would never make contact. Perhaps something had happened, a lightning storm brought down the airship, a super mutant with a Fat man used it for target practice, or some obscure Enclave outpost attacked and took the rest of the Brotherhood by surprise. The crackling of the radio brought Cross out of her daydream.
"Citadel come in, this is Elder Maxson from the Prydwen".
Cross grabbed the radio speakers and replied.
"Cross here, Steel be with you Elder".
"And with you, Star Paladin. What's the latest report from the Capital?"
Cross paused. Should she simply give him the day to day running of the Brotherhood? How the water supply was holding up or how much caps it had brought in? Any new skirmishes with the Regulators? No, he would want the really big news.
"Sir, we've been hearing some….disturbing…..rumours. They were just the whispers of Wasteland junkies at first, but now they're coming from Megaton, Vault 101 and Rivet City".
"Just spit it out Cross".
"The Lone Wanderer, sir. They're saying he's returned and he's out for blood. We believe he already killed two Knights in the north of the Wasteland, and there's been reported sightings all over. Some are saying he plans to take us down".
There was silence on the other end for a long while, so long that Cross began to think the line had gone dead. Eventually though, Maxson's voice quietly returned.
"Keep me posted. Prydwen out".
Now the line did go dead. Cross sighed and rested her head in her hands. Maxson's reaction meant one of two things. Either he wasn't that worried about the long-lost hero of the Capital Wasteland gunning for him and his men, or he was very, very worried indeed. And Cross knew from fighting alongside Orion that the latter reaction was the far more appropriate one.