Chance

Chapter 11: Disciplinary Action

((A/N: Just to let you all know right away, this chapter is pretty intense. It was enough to where I made the decision to bump up the rating for this story, even though I could possibly get away with the T rating, I wanted to be safe, and so I brought it up to M. I'm not going to ramble too much here, I just wanted to warn everyone, this chapter is pretty detailed on what happens to Roulette, so please keep that in mind, and don't flame for what's coming up. This chapter is still important to the story, so I wouldn't recommend skipping it. For those who really, really desire to skip, I will have a short recap at the start of the next chapter, but please, I suggest reading this chapter in full, despite the harsh nature of it.))

The hours seemed to pass quickly for Maxson, as he went about the needed preparations. Meanwhile, it felt like an eternity to Roulette, still in her cell. Waiting in a silent cell did nothing to quicken the passage of time.

As it grew dark out, she found herself fidgeting with the leather band around her neck, adorned with a pair of bullets. She normally didn't pray, but as the door finally opened, Rou found herself sending a silent plea to anyone who might be listening. Though, through the door came only Catherine, carrying a bundle under her arm.

"Elder Maxson requests that you put these on," Catherine stated, passing the bundle through the bars of the cell door to Roulette. "I'm sorry you have to go through his, Ash. I really had no idea he was going to do this."

"Just, save it, Catherine. It's too late to change it, now," Roulette told her. "I don't care if you knew or not, I half expected it, anyways."

Catherine gave a bit of a sigh. "Alright, well, get changed, quickly. The Elder hates to be kept waiting. I've got to head up there, he wants all personnel gathered as soon as possible," she said.

Roulette nodded, and began to change when Catherine and the Knight-sergeant on watch over her stepped out to speak. The young woman stripped off her usual shirt and undershirt, as well as her worn boots and heavy pants, and went on to pull on the shorts and cropped tank-top. As she laced up and tied the boots, she found the weight familiar, resembling the boots she had first received upon joining the Brotherhood with her sister.

Soon, the Knight-sergeant returned, letting Rou out of the cell and cuffing her hands behind her back. The man lead her through the echoing halls of the airship, as they made their way up to the observation deck. They walked in through the doors, and the gathered crew of the ship stood at either side, stepping aside and making a path between themselves. Roulette found Catherine among the crowd, though didn't allow their eyes to meet for long. She came to a stop before Elder Maxson and a slim, dark-skinned man.

Maxson cleared his throat, gaining the attention of the assembled crew. "Everyone," he began. "Before you stands Initiate Ashley Thomas. As many of you know, Initiate Thomas attempted to abandon the Brotherhood of Steel, deserting her brothers and sisters in arms. For two years, she has gone about assisting ghouls and synths alike," he stated, his strong voice filling the room. The man's words brought about hushed murmurs from the crowd. The Elder cleared his throat again, silencing the assembly before continuing. "In the wake of her actions, Initiate Thomas will receive eight lashes, four per each year she disregarded her loyalty to the Brotherhood."

A heavy silence filled the room, as Maxson had the man beside him, Lancer-captain Kells, assist in restraining Ashley's wrists above her head, following the removal of the handcuffs which bound her. The ropes were looped through the metal rafters overhead, and her wrists were tied to the ends, restricting her movement. Her ankles were also restrained, being tied to heavy weights brought in from the airship's training facilities. Following this, the men stepped back.

"If you would, Kells," Maxson stated, his tone displaying a mix of the statement being an offer and an order.

Kells nodded, not uttering a word as he picked up a bucket of water, and proceeded to throw the cold liquid over Ashley's small form. As the water rushed over her, Ashley let out a sharp gasp, though said nothing.

Maxson picked up a looped, leather whip. He unfurled the leather impliment, as an oppressive silence fell over the entire room. The man pulled back, and landed the first strike with a loud crack.

Ash closed her eyes tightly, balling her fists against the pain of the blow. She resisted the urge to yell out, it was far too early to allow herself to break. The next three lashes came in fairly quick succession.

Crack. Crack. Crack.

Each lash of the whip left a dark red mark, as the skin broke and allowed blood to trickle from under the skin. Ashley clenched her jaw, biting her lip hard and balling her fists tightly with each impact. The water on her skin was no longer bitterly cold, (not to say that it was warm it was simply a bit warmer than it had originally been), but it still rolled down her back and dripped from her hair, forming a puddle under the young woman.

She tried to focus on the feeling of the water on her skin, though she was abruptly pulled from her thoughts by another crack echoing off the metal walls, followed by the stinging pain of the strike. A fairly subdued cry forced itself from Ashley's throat, it wasn't quite a yell, but in the heavy silence, it may as well have been. The two following strikes brought about a similar reaction, though they came out louder than the first.

A moment went by before the final blow was dealt. This final crack seemed to be far louder than those which had come before it. The mark left behind crossed over several of those left by the earlier strikes, and Ashley's body visibly recoiled from the force of the blow, as the blood continued to trickle down her back.

A shout tore from Roulette's throat, and the cry echoed off the bare metal walls of the room. Soon after, Lancer-captain Kells doused the girl once again with a bucket of bitterly cold water, drawing another sharp gasp from the restrained figure. The girl's head fell forward, as her hair dripped with the frigid water. Her breathing was how shaky, as she allowed her restrained wrists to keep her upright, as she put all of her energy into preventing herself from breaking down.

"I would like for you all to keep this in mind," Maxson stated, turning to address the gathered crew of the Prydwen. "In the Brotherhood, the abandonment of your brothers and sisters can result in you ending up in this same position," he told the men and women before him. "You are all dismissed, you may return to your quarters and duties."

As the majority of the crew dispersed, Kells and Maxson released Ashley from her restraints. Catherine cautiously approached, assisting the men as her younger sister practically fell when her wrists were untied. Once the girl was released, Maxson moved on, getting one of the remaining crew members to gather what was needed to clean up the water on the floor. The Elder then left, possibly going back to his private quarters.

Kells shook his head a bit, "I need to return to the bridge, take her down to Knight-captain Cade," he told Catherine. "She should be dried off and warmed up, and those wounds look worse than I had anticipated."

Catherine gave a bit of a nod, and began to help her sister to the medical bay. The trek was fairly slow, and obviously anything but painless for Ashley. Catherine muttered quiet reassurances to her younger sister, finding that she didn't care if Ashley thought well of it or not. It helped her, at least.

Finally, the pair arrived at the small infirmary. Cade was sitting at the desk, typing up a terminal entry when he heard the shuffling of feet against the metal floors. He turned to face the sound, before rising from his seat.

"I expected the two of you to come down here," the Knight-captain stated, approaching the pair. "Get her dried off, and get those wet clothes off of her," he instructed. Catherine nodded, bringing Ashley behind a curtain and getting her dried off, removing her wet clothing and getting her into a dry hospital gown, before helping her up onto the bed.

Cade entered a short time later, with a rolling tray of medical supplies in tow. Ashley was sat up on the gurney, partially supported on Catherine's shoulder. The Knight-captain began to look over the wounds on her back, carefully cleaning them.

"These look worse than they are, really," he muttered. "They'll hurt for a time, and most likely scar, but there shouldn't be any real complications," he mused, as he began to wrap bandages over the wounds. "It was likely the pain that brought her down, and the shock of the cold water didn't help matters."

"I can hardly imagine how painful it must be," Catherine said, lending Cade a hand.

"I once received about half of what she did," Cade admitted. "I almost thought I was being stung by a radscorpion. Eight lashes, it had to have felt like being tossed around by a deathclaw," he informed her.

"Maybe. All I'm concerned about now is that she recovers. Ash was never really one to listen when she was told to stay put," Catherine told him.

"Well, she's going to have to listen, or it'll take longer for those wounds to heal."

Catherine nodded, carefully laying her sister down on the bed after Cade administered about half a dose of Med-X to her. Ash gave little response, as her mind gave in to her exhaustion, and she fell into a dreamless sleep.

Meanwhile, the elder of the two girls remained by the battered sister's side, until she herself found it difficult to stay awake. The older sister left to her own quarters, hoping that Cade's words held up, and that the sister she had once thought long gone would turn out just fine.