A Brotherhood of Steel Paladin stared at Arcade, behind the armored man stood several more fully armored Paladins which made up a patrol squad who looked like they were about to set out for their duties. Arcade stared back at the initial tan skinned, and scruffy haired Paladin with an expression of complete neutrality. "I saw nothing" hissed Arcade as he slammed the door closed in the Paladin's face. Turning sharply on his heels the doctor marched himself towards the stairs.

After only a brief moment, Arcade was surrounded with several Gauss Rifles pointed at his face.

Striped of his clothes so only his underwear remained, and with the addition of an explosive collar strapped around his neck, Paladin Ramos proceeded to drag the poor soul deeper into the bunker.

There were few men, who could match heights with Arcade, but the scientist felt tiny and naked surrounded by the power armor clad paladins. It also doesn't help that I'm practically naked, he thought to himself while being dragged through the steel labyrinth of a bunker. The squadron halted when they reached a spacious, round room with a high ceiling.

"Elder Elijah, Head Paladin McNamara, I bring you the intruder" stated Ramos as he elbowed Arcade forward to the front of the rotund central desk.

The Elder spoke first, a wild looking old man with unkempt white hair and a scruffy mustache and beard to match. He had an air of intelligence about him and though he appeared calm, excitement was evident in his eyes, "Now, tell me, Enclave doctor, what brings you to my humble bunker? Bravery or stupidity?"

"Well, I'd say a mix of stupidity and ignorance, but mainly stupidity. Frankly, at this point, I don't think I deserve the title of 'Doctor' anymore."

This earned an amused smile from the Head Paladin on Arcade's left, while the Elder threw back his head and let off a thunderous roar of laughter.

"Pardon my curiosity, oh great respectable Elder, but why is the leader of an entire chapter exploring pre-war bunkers?" Arcade asked cautiously.

Elder Elijah straightened his head to look the scientist in the eye and stated simply "We, the Mojave Brotherhood of Steel chapter, live and operate here".

"In this part of the Mojave",

"Yes",

"In this Valley",

"Yes",

"In this exact bunker",

"Yes",

"Oh, so you mean, not only is there a Brotherhood patrol squad here, but I just happen to stroll into the only bunker an entire Brotherhood chapter resides in? This is just so, I can't explain- oh sweet mercy, I can't breathe". With a loud thud, Arcade dropped ungracefully onto the floor and curled into the fetal position while heavily wheezing for air.

"Oh my" exclaimed Paladin McNamara as his blue eyes widened with surprise, he knelt down by Arcade with his hands uselessly in front of him, unsure of what to do.

"Hmm, yes I believe that would be the correct expression for this." agreed Elijah, "I believe he is hyperventilating, somebody call Doctor Schuler in here, I do want this man kept alive" he announced casually.

As Arcade was being treated by another doctor in the infirmary, Elijah turned to his Head Paladin, "When he learns how to breathe again, interrogate him, and use any means you see fit, McNamara."

"Yes Elder Elijah", saluted McNamara. About to turn to leave, he stopped when Elijah grabbed his shoulder squeezing it with deceptive strength, "And I meanany means, necessary" emphasized the older man, with a crazed twinkle in his eyes.

"Errrr….Yes sir", the head Paladin nodded hesitatingly as he slowly backed away, similarly to how an unarmed waste-lander would back away from a Deathclaw.

"That was... strange" McNamara mumbled as he headed towards the infirmary with an eyebrow raised and his eyes open much wider than usual.


McNamara walked into the infirmary, trying not to dwell on what the Elder could have been implying by reciting a mantra of Ignorance is bliss, ignorance is bliss, ignorance is bliss, ignorance is bliss, inside his head.

"Dr Schuler is the captive ready to be moved to the holding cell?" asked the Paladin.

"Well he is breathing fine now, but I suspect there is some degree of mental damage." She replied, "Not my specialty by the way." She added.

Arcade was sitting on an infirmary cot, blankly staring at the wall in front of him wearing an expression not dissimilar to that which McNamara had earlier. While shaking his head and maintaining his eye contact with the wall, Arcade began "You'd assume that because I'm a doctor and that I have a rank 10 in the intelligence class, that something this, this colossally moronic would be impossible and improbable, but clearly not."

Dr Schuler crossed her hands in front of each other in an 'x' and waved them at McNamara while mouthing the words "Not my problem" as she shuffled away.

Arcade continued his one sided conversation with "Mother, I know it wasn't easy raising me by yourself after father died, but please forgive me for the tremendously stupid way in which I am about to cease to be".

This made everyone in the room sad.

Now Head Paladin Nolan McNamara knew how to direct dangerous missions over a ham radio: use laser weaponry blind folded, disarm live explosives without so much as batting an eye; punch people to death with just his bare fists, but this, this was beyond him.

"He-hello there Doctor", Nolan began as he licked his dry lips, worried that saying the wrong thing might somehow worsen the somewhat broken man before him.

"I'm not a Doctor" replied Arcade, "Doctors are smart".

Dr Schuler cringed, now at her desk she forced herself to focus on the x-rays before her. The Paladin winced, and continued "I need to take you to the holding cell okay?" the dazed Arcade understood, and slowly rose from the cot but proved to be quite wobbly on his feet, like a new born Brahmin calf.

After deciding that watching the man before him attempting to walk was taking a toll on his heartstrings, Nolan gently grabbed both of Arcade's wrists with one hand and lifted them up. He then bent down and pulled Arcade across his shoulders draping him across like a scarf. With one hand securing the wrists and the other firmly holding the back of the blonde's knees, Nolan straightened up and set out for the holding cell.

An assortment of scribes, knights and paladins gave Nolan and his newfound Arcade-scarf strange looks, and the Head Paladin returned them with small nods and a wry smile, while thanking his tan complexion for covering his blushing face. How else was he supposed to pick up an equally tall man?

McNamara held as close to a cool complexion as he could, granted his current situation, until Elder Elijah walked past and stopped suddenly to look at the fashion in which the Paladin was holding the captive. After careful scrutiny, the Elder nodded approvingly and breathed out:

"Any means", shakily.

Nolan's face was now crimson enough to match a Legion banner, his tan no longer effective camouflage; he wished he had his Laser RCW on him so he could put the nozzle in his mouth and discharge a few rounds.