5. Assault against the base
Two days have passed since the base of Tainted Cave's scientist's number went down with an employee. Whitley made every effort to speak with his friend and colleague however despite all his attempts they rejected all his requests. Then he visited the lieutenant in person and used all of his influences, but all this was only good to be threatened by the soldiers that he will lost the project, if he'll keep going on like this, and he can go wherever he wants.
He worked dejectedly in his office when someone burst through the door without even knocking. Whitley angrily turned around and took off his glasses, seeing that his assistant came into the office so loud.
"What's gotten into you?" he said to the woman, who was barely Elaine's age. "Why did you break the door on me, in such an ill-mannered style?"
"My, lover, Edgar, said just now that this morning the lieutenant signed two death penalties. The prison has a total of two prisoners, a Brotherhood of Steel fighter, and the doctor!"
Whitley got goose bumps as he remembered that Edgar belongs to the lieutenant's bodyguards, so he knows exactly everything what's happening at the base.
Aware of the developments, the scientist went directly to Autumn's office, and burst in, without knocking.
The two soldiers, who guarded the door immediately grabbed him and dragged him out of the empty office. Whitley constantly yelled that he wants to speak with the boss. Finally they fulfilled his wish, but however, he had to try out how it feels to be sitting on a chair, while his hands and foots were bounded to it.
The Enclave's future colonel shook his head as he walked into the room. He knew that the scientist has nothing to do with the situation, but he also knew that he needs to share the "truth" with the man, otherwise he will never stop, and it was enough to lose one scientist, losing two of them would be catastrophic. The progress of the development of the eyebots made some steps back since the imprisonment of Dr. Ronin.
Despite all of the evidences, Whitley didn't believe one word what he heard from the mouth of the soldier. Not even after Autumn showed him the video recordings.
He watched the man's reactions instead of the recording. He wanted to be sure that the scientist has nothing to do with the case. Whitley's body language proved his innocence.
While these events took place in one wing of the building, in the underground section Elaine was led to an unknown place. Both her hands were tied together, and they even pulled a bag over her head.
She was still in shock, after just half an hour ago they presented the indictment and not long after the punishment to her. Lieutenant Autumn wanted to speak out her death sentence personally, but Whitley's little solo action made the lieutenant to stay and speak with him.
A terrible death awaited both prisoners, and they both knew it. They were taken to the cages of the Deathclaws. There they had to kneel down a bit away from each other. After that that, the soldiers left the room.
As the metal doors closed, the Brotherhood member took the bag off of his head and looked around instantly.
As could be expected only one exit was there, and behind the metal door, what was locked, there were certainly placed guards.
In the huge barn like room no light could enter from the outside, but the ceiling lights were placed far apart one to each other.
Above the door was a giant screen, and on it a digital clock was showing.
As he looked at it, the countdown was at forty seconds and counting back. As he looked to his right, he saw their executioners as well. Two hulking beast sharpened their claws behind a steel cage. The warrior knew that when the countdown reaches down to zero, the cage door will open, and those monsters will constantly attack them.
He wandered to what to do, and although didn't pop out any operational plan out of his mind, he yelled at the woman, next to him, to take the bag off her head.
"What's the point?" Elaine asked, with her voice close to tears.
"If you want to survive, you have to see your attackers. Anyway, if we survive this, I need to introduce you to someone…"
As Elaine remembered the record, she had the right motivation to do what he proposed to her. As the bag was removed from her head, she looked into his direction, but before she reached to look at the man's face, in her eyes fleshed in those twenty-seven seconds, which remained from their lives.
At that moment, a small amount of hope lit up in her eyes. With her hands still bound she ran towards the fuse box near the door. She tore away the cover, and pulled out a cable.
"You're crazy?" shouted the man. "At least give yourself a chance before you kill yourself!"
"There's not enough current inside to hurt me", replied the woman, and instead of further speaking, she torn another cable, whereupon the counter stopped.
"You saved us!" exclaimed with delight the man.
"I don't think so…" she shook her head. "I've seized ourselves with those monsters." She glanced towards the cage of the roaring Deathclaws. The mutants surely were angry, seeing the counter stop, but as it seemed, one thing was sure: they'll make everything to free themselves from their cage.
"Oh, babe, don't worry, just entrust this problem to me!"
The man stood up, and went straight to one of the caged beasts. Walking in front of him, he reached his hands towards the monster, and instantly, the beast attacked. The razor-sharp claws cut the ropes off of the man's arms in an instant. He slapped down satisfied the remaining snippets off of his wrists. With it, came down a little bit of blood as well, what flowed out of the wound. But this was a little sacrifice what he welcomed to the good cause.
"Don't ever call me babe!" appeared Elaine beside him, expecting the same gesture from the same beast, who in turn was not as clever as before, as it failed to cut down the ropes, or to accidentally make any scratch on her arm. The Brotherhood of Steel warrior grabbed her hands before the claws would even reach her hands. What the beast managed was but a tiny cut on the thick rope, what a moment later was torn by the man. So now both of them were free. "Just to introduce myself: I'm Dr. Elaine Ronin!"
"My name is Tristan, and after we manage to escape from here, we can continue on with our dating, but now we have more important things to do. One of them is to get out of here! Preferably in one piece, and walking on my legs, not dragged out in a rubbish bag!"
"Well, there's the problem… I managed to disarm the only exit. We are alive but the only question is that how long can we manage to continue on? The door can be opened but manually, and only from the outside, and I'm certain that they will not waiting for us with open arms!"
"Can you open these cages?"
"Are you crazy?"
"Babe! I mean, Elaine…"
"Dr. Ronin!"
"As you wish, Dr. Ronin… But right now let's get to the point. One thing is good in these Deathclaws, and that one small little thing is that they prefer to attack the better armed and armored preys. With more guns and armor, you're more appetizing for them! You know what I mean?"
"This is bullshit! They'll tear us apart first!"
Tristan, the Brotherhood's warrior maybe would begin a good long discussion, but the time was one of the things what they had little in that situation. They've barely reached the end of their conversation when they heard gunshots from the outside of the door.
Elaine looked back startled, while Tristan went closer. Meanwhile all sounds stopped, but that was just like the calm before the storm… Just a few seconds later another gun shots were heard, and then from a distance even the sirens were heard as well.
The prisoners understood at that moment that the cavalry has just arrived. But the high-pitched sound was sounding but a little time ago when someone suddenly pushed the door open.
From precaution, Tristan jumped to the ground. He grabbed Elaine as well and pulled the woman to a darker point of the room.
The door swung open, and for the first time they saw a spotlight's shine. A man's shadow appeared behind the light. He was wearing heavy armor that was certain. The only question what remained was that which group's armor can be. He proceeded slowly, circling around gently.
Tristan released Elaine's arm, and taking advantage of the noises made by the Deathclaws, he crept behind the door, while he gestured towards the woman to remain in cover.
It was obvious that he was a trained warrior, he move just like the cats, and his movements were heard just in the moment when he wanted to be heard, but then a light immediately shone into his face.
"Peebody!" he said, covering his eyes with his hands. "Get the fuck out that crap off my face, before I castrate you!"
The man lowered his weapon and with it the lights as well, and then he said. "Tristan, I thought, we arrived late!"
"I'd be Deathclaw food if I hadn't met Dr. Ronin!"
"Oh my God!" widened the warriors eyes.
"Our scribe is still around? If we show what we have here, her pretty little chin will surely drop off!"
"Then don't we make her wait much!" smiled the man." The boys cleaned this sector, but the fucking alarms are going on, so our arrival's news is spread!"
"I never thought that one day I'll propose something like this, but it would be better, if this place would not exist! Look at those Deathclaws! They have chips in their minds, and I don't think that they want to domesticate them. It would be better to destroy all of them. And not just the beasts, the plans as well!"
"Tristan, just think about this. Maybe Tainted Cave is a military base, but is full of civilians!"
"We'd rather wait until they send these beasts at us? Peebody, we have to arrange this! Perhaps we'll have no more chance!"
Peebody looked towards the cages. His face was totally blurred, looking at those beasts.
He would never agree with this idea, but as he looked at those huge monsters, he knew that his comrade is right. They have to make the appropriate steps, and now they have no time to delay. And perhaps there will be no more chances indeed.
His stomach churned as he thought about what they are going to do, but had no choice. He started the action. He flooded a rain of bullets on the beasts who even in their agony proved terrible opponents.
Elaine watched wide-eyed the animals execution, but she reached to a conclusion as well. She'll save her work even if it will cost her life!
She slipped out of the cell, while the two men were not paying attention. She ran among the Brotherhood of Steel warrior were not attacking her, because they saw that she's a civilian. She ran through the red light flooded hallway then up the stairs, straight through the open door, jumping over countless corpses of Enclave soldiers.
Another long corridor occurred, but on this not only the sounds and the lights of the alarm was heard and seen, but fighting also took place between the Enclave and Brotherhood of Steel.
Somewhere in cover, somewhere crawling, in other parts jumping unprotected in front of the bullets ran on the familiar route towards her former place of work.
She was well aware that she has no future there for her, but she couldn't imagine her future without Sweet-E.
She escaped the adventure miraculously without a scratch, and after some difficulty she crossed the battlefield and ran among the refugees. She saw from the corner of her eyes their assistant, who was crying over a dead Enclave soldier's body. Elaine wanted to go to her, but the girl suddenly rose, and holding her lover's pistol began to shout her dead boyfriend's name, and ran directly in her death. Elaine's face contorted, seeing how the Brotherhood warrior shot down in cold blood the civilian girl. She couldn't do anything for her, and she knew this well.
She turned back to the lab and now only hoping that she'll find there her beloved robot, she marched towards the lab. It was a bit difficult for her to get into the lab, as the crowd advanced forward. She even fell in the great pace, but she reached the lab in one piece.
At least one stone had fallen from her heart when she heard her colleague's voice.
"Elaine!" shouted Whitley as soon as he noticed the woman and then quickly rushed over to her and helped her up. "My God, I thought, I lost you!"
"Sam!" she hugged him tearfully. "Sam, you need to flee from here! The Brotherhood of Steel wants to destroy this place."
"I know about this, Elaine. They already called on the intercom everyone to go to the airport as soon as possible. The vertibirds are ready! I first have to pack some essential things. Trust me I'll bring to safety Sweet-E and ED-E. We couldn't go all at once, as this would be hazardous. Go, Elaine, run away from here! Here, put on this robe, so they'll see that you're a civilian, not a soldier!"
"I'm taking Sweet-E with me!"
"I told you, I'll take it out! Military insurance was promised, and will be here any minute! See you out there, Elaine! Go ahead and don't look back!"
He couldn't even end his sentence when five Enclave soldiers entered the room. Elaine scared to death, but Whitley managed to save the situation. He claimed that Elaine is none other than Lisa, his assistant. The soldiers even believed it, and immediately sent out the woman off the room, saying to follow the crowd. Elaine nodded, than let go of Whitley's arm and they said to her, she went out of the room.
She mingled again with the crowd, trying to get out of the building. As they more and more marched forward, she saw that some soldiers were stuck in front of a locked door. Apparently they wanted to open it, but were unable to get through, using brute force.
Elaine, despite knowing that she'll play a dangerous game, ran over to them to provide help. The four warriors, who were wearing power armor, seemed very angry. Eventually one of them even returned the scientist into her own mother. Elaine offered to try to remotely open the door for them. To do this, she ran into one of the rooms, there occupying a computer, she began to work on the problem.
She eventually managed to open the door, and the soldiers immediately marched in the closed corridor.
As Elaine stepped out of the control room, shots were fired on the hallway, which she opened for the soldiers. She looked there but saw only smoke, but by the time she turned around suddenly a plasma grenade rolled to her feet.
All it happened in a moment. She even felt the grenade touching her toes, but she also felt how someone grabbed her by her shoulder, and pulled her back into the control room.
She fell facing the floor, but the blow broke her nose, what was still healing. Blood poured out from her nose, while her ears were suffering from the enormous explosion.
Suddenly everything blurred out in front of her. She felt that someone, who's leaning over her, turns her around, but she couldn't recognize the face of her savior, because she lost consciousness.