10. A Friendly Advice, Or Maybe a Threat?
There was perhaps no darker period in Elaine's memories than the first some months lived in Raven Rock. At least once a week, it happened that she was dragged to the interrogation room, and was questioned several times, and they didn't say anything to her outside of the questions.
All her interrogations were assisted by her attorney, and although he did a great job, Elaine was permanently afraid she'd been taken away one day, then they'll put a bag over her head an will drag her in front of the Deathclaws.
Every time she saw a soldier, she felt her heart beat in her throat.
Then one day, in lunchtime break, the lieutenant and her lawyer walked in front of her at once. Autumn handed over a sealed letter to Elaine then he simply left. The lawyer shouted after him in surprise.
"That's it?" he asked him. "You owe her more then this, after what you've done to her!"
"We just did our job!" replied Autumn. "The letter was sent personally by President Eden. Miss McGee I would like to stay, by my father's condition is worsening!"
It was well known at the base that the health status of Autumn senior was very bad lately, so the lawyer didn't comply after that, and Elaine remained sitting, with the letter in her hand.
"What happened?" she finally asked from her lawyer.
"They managed to hack one of the servers, used by the Brotherhood of Steel, and the data revealed that Elaine Ronin is located currently in the Citadel. Since one living spirit can't be in two different places simultaneously, so President Eden decided to close your investigation and even has sent you an apology letter".
Elaine was surprised hearing the news. The lawyer thought that she was surprised by the gesture of the President, but in reality the woman was surprised by the news, revealing her false location. How it is possible for Dr. Elaine Ronin to be in the Citadel, when in reality she's actually sitting at the table, face to face with the lawyer, who was smiling proudly.
Elaine could've been finally revealed. But truth is that the presence of the soldiers was likewise irritating her. One day however, it happened that she went between soldiers, now willingly to do so.
The death of Dr. Autumn has hit the whole Enclave. It wasn't unexpected however it was a big loss for the people. Everyone knew what the scientist had done after the Enclave Oil Rig was destroyed.
Many people dropped their tears in front of his coffin. Even the soldiers could hold back hard their tears. But surprisingly, the lieutenant stood behind his father's coffin and waited for the funeral to begin with military discipline.
As Elaine watched him, she didn't find mourning on his face or pain from the loss of a loved one, but instead he looked more stressed. He didn't drop a tear during the entire funeral.
In the evening dusk, when there was only one man standing over the grave, a female figure seemed to approach. The man above the grave turned his head towards the sounds of the footsteps.
The green eyed man looked at the woman then he said this: "Lisa McGee, why are you here at this hour?"
"Lieutenant, please take my sincere condolences".
"Thank you" said Autumn, facing the grave. "Miss McGee…."
"Please call me Lisa".
"After the incident in Tainted Cave, a little confidence had grown between us?"
"I owe you my life, Lieutenant!"
"Just call me Augustus. From tomorrow onwards, the President will give me the rank of Colonel".
The man said this in a somehow mocking tone, though it might be just fatigue, what made him talk like that after a stressful day.
Elaine didn't know exactly what the man came through. She was still very little, when she lost her parents. But she could feel his pain.
Elaine smiled at him and congratulated him. He turned his head in another direction. For him, this rank, what he got, was more than unpleasant. Especially after knowing who their president in reality is, he was more than disappointed.
He always found it interesting that President Eden never went out to the public, that he was surrounded only by robots and allowed only his father to enter his residence.
He should have been surprised by the statement of his father, what the old man made on his deathbed. When Autumn Senior told him the secret of Eden, apparently Augustus wasn't surprised. He simply disappointed in his father. He thought that the old scientist trusted him more than to tell the truth about President Eden at his last minutes of his life.
His father hurt him so much. Even at the last moment of his life, he was interested in only one machine. Just as in his life.
He wanted to put his dead father's corpse under the ZAX supercomputer's control unit, let him smell like the flower in front of the monitor.
That only one flower was now buried lay there on the top of the coffin, broken in half, deep underground.
Autumn's stomach turned up when he remembered the first command of the "President".
"Dear Augustus", the eerie voice echoed in his ears, "when you come back, please bring me a rosebud with you".
He got headache whenever he thought about that beginning from the next day seeming he'll be commanding the soldiers from Raven Rock, but in reality President Eden needs him as a puppet for his plans.
Autumn knew that sometimes he'll be rewarded, just like he got this promotion now. Promotion… more likely kicked upper on the ladder of success!
But Augustus Autumn never agreed to be anyone's dog. Darker and darker thought awakened in his mind, but when he saw Lisa coming on the road, he forgot all his problems for a moment.
He knew well the profile of the woman, he studied all over the report about her, and although he knew that the woman resembles his father the best among the scientists, he was always happy, when they met. And this woman came only for him, she went there only for him to the cemetery.
He decided that he'll not allow Lisa to be near his father. If the man in his life never was interested in the personal life of his son, then he had no right to watch him sown from his grave.
Lisa held a long-stemmed Carnation in her hand. She wished to leave it among the wreaths, but Augustus held out his arm, and then the woman, leaving his original plans, she caught the man's arm.
The newly appointed Colonel didn't allow Elaine to put the flower down, instead, he escorted her to another point of the cemetery. On the green meadow, there was a headstone with the name: Edgar Lenson.
There was a large bouquet of flowers in front of the grave. Elaine looked at the Colonel then he did just the same thing. She stepped closer to the grave, then leaned over and placed the flower next to it.
In the depths of her soul, she placed it on Lisa, the woman who had slept her eternal sleep in an unmarked grave, giving her identity to Elaine.
She stared sadly at the flat marble piece when suddenly someone put a hand on her shoulder. Elaine felt her heart beating faster, feeling the strong, yet gentle touch. She closed her eyes and imagined that they were not in a cemetery, but somewhere else, under other circumstances, only the two of them…
She blushed just from the thought about it, and she almost slapped herself on the face, thinking about such blithesome thoughts right in the center of a cemetery. She got up, and then she went next to the man.
He looked at her then she pulled him away from the grave, while she felt her face burn as many times when she looked up at him.
Autumn escorted Elaine back to the door of her home, then they said goodbye. She couldn't sleep an hour on that night. She lay on her bed, letting on her even her black costume, because she felt the scent of the man coming from the sleeves of the dress.
The next morning she went to work sleep-deprived. Whitley looked at her with wide eyes, but none of them said even a word.
After Elaine exchanged a few words with a soldier, she went straight into the toilet for at least half an hour. A brand new Lisa McGee came out after that. She arranged her freshly washed hair in front of the mirror and after she took on her white coat, she looked at Whitley.
"When will we go to the meeting?" she asked the man.
"Where would you like to go?"
"Lieutenant Autumn's promotion will be organized at two o'clock. I don't want to be late!"
"I thought, you didn't care about similar events".
"Sam, please tell me, there is a seating plan on such occasions, or everybody sits where they want?"
"Looks like I will not have an empty space next to me this time…"
"Oh, I understand… And tell me, how good is the view in general, where you are sitting".
"Come on, Lisa, now you will see…"
Whitley's reaction was a little surprising for Elaine. He accompanied his beautiful assistant on the long corridor. Elaine could have even thought that her friend, Sam was a jealous, if she hadn't known better the man. He had never approached her, and she knew he had a woman in his life. At least he claimed he has a serious relationship with a teacher, with who he was often talking in his free time.
Autumn's appointment to the rank of Colonel was very unusual. President Eden's command and his greeting speech was spoken by one of Autumn senior's retired colleagues, and he was the one who put the new rank sign on Autumn's uniform.
Whenever she looked at the man, who was sitting there disciplined, Elaine was thinking about those similar events she had missed, just because she was angry at him for some things for what he wasn't responsible.
However, now she was happy to be present, but she was sure that whatever will happen, she will be present at every ceremonies where Autumn will be invited.
Elaine held herself to her vows, and even she found herself even more near the colonel. The truth is that the man had a solid role in all of these as well.
Autumn kept distance from Elaine, until the end of the mourning period, but after a year they walked openly on the street, and even so, they spent one or more nights at one of their houses.
Typically, they chose weekends, but a single time, when Autumn had to go into a longer mission, they chose a Wednesday for their reunion.
Elaine was still asleep when Augustus carefully lifted her head from his twitchy arm and quietly got out of bed. He planned to pack his staff at the afternoon, but he ended with Elaine in his bed, so he hadn't had the time to pack anything at all.
He finished packing in ten minutes then went back to the bed. She woke up when she felt his touch on her skin, and a smile appeared on her face. She touched the man to see what is he wearing, and when she felt that he wore just the same as in the evening she suddenly jumped at the man laughing, who pretended to be asleep. As he kept pretending to sleep, she tried a new strategy as she went down a bit and started an alarming attempt under the blanket.
Of course, this action would be successful only if the man was still asleep, but she couldn't complain, as she gained more enjoyment with less effort.
They made sex in the morning sunlight, when finally the man went to take a shower.
Elaine wanted to play with him for one more time, when Augustus came back of the bathroom, he found the woman naked, on the top of the bedclothes with her legs wide open. Now she was the one pretending to sleep, however her play was not the best, as she began to laugh when she sensed the man's shadow on her.
She felt the bed moving under her as the man knelt beside her and leaned over to her ear, whispering something in the woman's ear. Hearing the words, Elaine got embarrassed. But after a very little time, he kissed her on the forehead, then little lower, kissing her chest. Then he suddenly pulled the sheet down on her, twisting the woman into it.
Elaine just laughed while she freed herself, but in the end the room became empty. Not just Augustus disappeared, but his clothes, the gun from the top of the desk and the suitcase, beside the wall as well.
Getting out from bed, she found a keycard on her own clothes. Raising it, she went to the door, and put the card into the card recognizer. A green light appeared, indicating that the exit was free.
Elaine smiled and wondered that she will provide a copy of her own keys for the man, when he will come back.
Her mood was good when she came out of the basement, where Autumn's apartment was.
She never imagined that she'll meet up with a person from the lab at that very spot, so she was surprised to see Whitley on the sidewalk.
The man looked pissed, and it seemed that his mood can't be helped by that magical McGee smile.
The man told the woman to follow him to the park. Since there were no cameras there, they talked honestly.
As soon they reached a good place, Whitley let out on the woman his emotions.
"Tell me, woman, what the fuck are you doing?! Are you crazy, or have I misunderstood you from the first place?!"
"What's your problem?"
"What is my problem, you ask? I will tell you, if it happened that you forgot, you got a fire command on your head. And what are you doing? You're fucking licking the barrel, that's what you're doing!"
"I'm doing exactly what I want with my very life!"
"Remained one question: whether it's all about your life, or it's business! Like everything else in your life…"
"What do you mean?"
"I'm talking about the hidden files on ED-E's hard drive! Just to let you know if you do not end your relation with him, I'll show him those nine years old files!"
"Those are Sweet-E's backup copies. You know this well!"
"And you use password protection for a fucking backup?"
"Shall I show you the content?"
"Leave the Colonel alone! Elaine… I don't want to lose you. You yourself told me that he shot dead civilians, just because you looked at them".
"He was drowned, while I was wearing a gas mask!"
"The I'll say more recent news! Though they put on a news blackout, I know from Agnes that he killed all chiefs of the ex-government. Agnes's several disciples cried out to her exact the same thing! That their father or other close relative died in a fatal accident. In a strange way, just before they could swear their loyalty to the new Government. All of them were killed by plasma weapon. And we all know, that Autumn's men are experimenting with exactly the same thing!"
"Are defending him from me now, or me from him?"
"Elaine, leave that cobra in peace. This a friendly advice…"
"Then I would have a counsel for you, my friend. Give me up quietly, put on table all your cards, I will not do anything against it, but remember it well: if you do, we will stand together in front of the Deathclaws, because you have became my partner in crime at the moment you lied in my interest".
Elaine turned, and though she wanted to leave, she stopped. On the rose-promenade arbor, a six to eight years old boy ran to them. His hair was as red as Whitley's. Elaine saw the boy last time, when he was still a baby. He was approaching them with shining eyes. He rushed to Whitley and jumped on him.
"Seby!" said the doctor, while he hugged the little boy. "What are you doing, my little brother?"
"Mom said I'd be an uncle soon!"
"Yeah, mom didn't lie, soon another Whitley will came to the world! You'll be an uncle!"
"While you Sam, you'll became a dad!" She put her fingers on his shoulder. "Why didn't you tell me, Sam that you wrote a delivery request to the Stork?"
Hearing this, the little boy looked at his brother: "What is a stork?"
"I'll tell you, if you'll grow a bit". He said, pointing at the boy's nose with his finger. "Anyway, I wanted to tell you" he looked up at Elaine. "I stood in front of your room all night, but around midnight I realized you were not at home then I heard what the soldiers were discussing, and as it turned out, the rumor was true.
The boy took a look on Elaine, and then his mouth remained open: "Wow, you are Elaine, if I'm not mistaken!"
"No my dear, I'm Lisa." She leaned closer to the boy.
"But mommy showed me a picture, and told me that the woman on it with brother is Elaine".
"No, Seby!" Sam shook his head. "This is Lisa, my colleague".
"Lisa?" The child looked at the woman then he suddenly stretched out his hand towards Elaine. "Hi, Lisa, I'm Sebastian Whitley!"
"Nice to meet you, I'm Lisa McGee! A little bird came with the rumor that one day you'll be ED-E's mentor in the future".
"Sam told me that this will became reality, when he'll move to Navarro!"
"You have to wait a little longer…"
"Don't listen to you brother, learn a lot, and you'll see, you'll become a more popular Whitley then your brother!"
"Well, we have to sleep some more before this happens!" Sam laughed.
The boy looked up at his brother then he raised his head towards Elaine. He had that crazy, young look at his shining eyes.
Sebastian Whitley decided at the moment that one day he will be a much bigger doctor then his brother. Although Sam made ED-E, but he will be the one, who will give the robot personality, he would be his mentor!