Hello again. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and are looking forward to a celebratory New Years. I admit that I had issues writing this chapter. In truth, the day after I finished with the previous one I already had this one written, at least an earlier version of it. But I was not satisfied with it, nor was I the second, third or fourth time I wrote it. But I am satisfied with this one and I hope you are more so.
Please enjoy and leave me your thoughts, good and bad, and Favorite and Follow if you are new and feel it worthy to do so. Enjoy.
Chapter 10
The weight of Liara pressed firmly down upon Walker as he carried her on his shoulders underneath the cloudy cover of darkness. He body shivered form the cold lashing against his skin. What warmth he had was absorbed by Liara, her skin growing colder with each passing second. He followed the woman leader of the trio, a group that would either prove to be his saviors or his captors with only time being showing the outcome. No talking took place as the group marched through the cold and dark sky. It was more or less an eventless experience. Before they left they had mentioned the Council, a name that seemed to have importance but Walker found himself swimming in ignorance concerning it none the less.
Finally after what had felt like hours, though Walker knew it had probably been less than one, the group came to a stop near a ruined building similar to the thousands that defined the once great city of New Vegas. Out of the shadows of the interior Callaghan quickly entered and then reappeared making his way back to the woman. The two conferred for a moment before both made their way into the interior. With a nudge from Hammond dutifully behind Walker, he followed them in.
The inside was even darker and the air was filled with dust. Dread filled Walker at what he was walking into. Sweat beaded on his chilled skin as adrenaline began to take root in his mind preparing his body for whatever new terror may come. In its time the building would have been something of significant grandeur. Far more so than anything Walker had known in his own time and it pained him to see it in such a state. It seemed as though humanity was now even worse off than before, although he hoped and gave silent prayer that it was not.
The group made their way down various corridors and through openings in broken walls. The interior of the ruin was dark and gloomy making Walker disoriented in where he was going. Walker's own pipboy remained dark with him being unable to access it while carrying Liara. Thankfully the strangers all possessed lights attached to their own pipboys. Walker was not sure if the holographic displays on their wrists were actually just futuristic pipboys or another device but just the possibility gave his mind some small comfort of familiarity in this new world he found himself in.
They came to a sudden stop as they approached a dead end for the wide hallway they found themselves in. A large and decaying wooden shelf stood against a wall in front of Walker and the rest. Callaghan and Hammond went over to the piece of wood and gently shifted the piece to the side revealing a small hole in the wall. On the other side of the wall was a metal staircase leading to an unseen sublevel. The woman leader led the way and was the first to descend followed closely by Callaghan. As Walker went through the opening into the wall and came to the staircase he could barely make out a thick door buried in rubble on the far side of the small room. He descended into the darkness following the bobbing lights of those already ahead.
The stairway went down a few stories and with each step the weight of Liara bore down all the more. He knew he was approaching his limit carrying her and he doubted that his new friends would allow for a break. He hoped that their destination would soon be at hand. As he foot left the last step and touched down on solid ground, his hopes were answered. As he finished descending, and Hammond after him, he found himself in a small room with nothing beside the stairs and a door. Underneath the door however, light poured partially illuminating the small room.
"Welcome home boys," said the woman leader as she threw open the door blinding Walker with the light from the other side. Behind him Hammond gave him a gentle push urging him to go forward. As his vision came back to him he saw the barrels of two rifles pointing at him and his new friends. Behind them stood a tall man with a startled look on his face. His face quickly turned to a smile as the armored soldiers lowered their guns.
"Good to see you again Captain," said the tall man with cheer in his voice. "It took you long enough."
Walker quickly scanned the room. The first thing he noticed was a large door on the opposite side. It was big enough to fit at least four large men side by side through with room to spare. Beside it was small panel. It was dark and without power and looked different than the ones he had seen earlier and he wondered if it would activate at his gesture like the other ones had.
He continued to look around the decently sized room. In one corner near the large door was a small office with glass walls long shattered. He could barely make out the word 'Security' in faded black on an open glass door. Inside on the floor laid a figure underneath a blanket, a bony hand was showing out of the cover letting Walker know the person was many years dead. Very briefly he wondered how the man died before looking away. Near the door to the stairs was a rubble pile of what Walker assumed to be the remains of an elevator and entrance proper to this room.
Their were lights built into the ceiling but those were dark. Instead standing lights placed around the room illuminated the area. Walker saw no other people in this space, only the three that had picked him up and the three that had been waiting here. While the room was spacious enough, various equipment stacked along the walls made the space feel small. Some of it was old, as though it had been scavenged by the people who were here or perhaps from those that might have come before. Of course they may had been here since fire rained down on the land, but Walker did not think so. Six sleeping bags were on one side of the wall. Walker wondered how long this had been these peoples' home. He hoped he could trust them.
"Hey buddy," said Walker to Hammond. "Where do I put Liara." Hammond stared at him with the look of a dull super mutant for a second until he realized Walker was referring to the asari. After a spark of recognition lit in his eyes Hammond directed him to a small pad in the corner of room. Walker gently moved Liara from his shoulders to the pad. Her skin was ice cold and her chest barely moved from her breathing. He stood over her with worry but hoped that her making it this far gave way to her making it out of her situation. He knew very little about this strange woman and he hoped he would learn more.
"Don't worry son," said Hammond as he examined the wound. "I think she'll be alright." He said this with a smile, a doctor's smile he gives when he does not want a patient or loved one to worry even if there is a reason do so. Walker hoped he was right as the man began to work on girl.
-)(-
Captain Lorie Baker looked at the man standing over the Asari and she did so with a vile taste in her mouth. It was becoming all too common on Mars for people beginning to sympathize with their alien conquerors in the past few years, especially the asari that so many found themselves befuddled with. Some people seemed to forget that they were still the enemy. She motioned over Leroy and Jenkins to her and gave the marines her orders. With some enjoyment she watched the two men walk over to the stranger.
"Sir," said Jenkins to the stranger as he put his hand on the man's shoulder. "I am going to need you to remain calm and turn around and put your hand behind your back." She saw a fire burst to life in the strangers eyes as Jenkins said this to him. For a split second she was sure that he was going to fight the order and the man. Then he looked at her and the fire died, then he complied. Leroy placed a binding on his wrist and then put him down on a scavenged fold out chair they had earlier found and secured the man to it.
Sergeant Geroge Allimer came up to her. "Where did you find those two, sir?" he asked. He easily stood taller than Lorie. Lean and stronger than a yao guai, the sergeant was a force to be reckoned with. He had short silver hair that was quite a contrast against his dark skin. Most importantly he was the leader of Echo Squad, one of the premier teams of soldiers humanity still had at its disposal. It was also a team that excelled at getting into places they were not allowed in, such as the vault underneath them.
"We pulled them from some old ruin a few clicks away from the 38," she said. It had just been a few hours since they had heard the distant rumble of an explosion. Her, Callaghan, Hammond as well as two other Marines left the entrance to the Vault to go investigate. Along the way they had spotted the heat signature of the stranger and the asari, although the latter one was very faint. She sent the marines ahead to investigate the explosion while she secured the two newcomers for interrogation. "Any word yet form our boys on that explosion?"
"Yeah," the sergeant said. "They radioed back about twenty minutes ago. Whatever it was it seemed to come from under the 38. There's nothing there but rubble."
Lorie cursed softly. The lucky 38 had withstood the war and Earth's Armageddon. It was a symbol of hope for those still left of Vegas. She wondered if it was an omen of things to come. She hoped that it was not the start of all they still held onto beginning to crumble down.
"Well," she said after recovering herself from the unfortunate news. "Any luck with the door." She motioned over to the door leading down into the Vault. Its door stood tall and strong amid the world rooted in rot and turmoil. In it held the key to humanity's salvation, but it was proving difficult to grab onto. The Vault was all that remained of Central Command, the main building was above them where they stood. The ruins above them once was the headquarters for the Vegas military and responsible for the organization and deployment of the most powerful fleet humanity had ever put forth. The Vault was the sub level of Central. It housed the real workings of the Vegas military as well as some of the most advanced labs in the nation. After Earth had succumb to planet wide destruction for a second time, communication with the Vault had gone dark even though it was build to withstand near total destruction.
What remained of the humanity's defense crumbled as communication with their last central control center went dark. With the pressing attack, any attempt by what remained of the fleet to hold strong quickly failed. The Vault was suppose to survive nearly anything that was thrown at it, yet it failed to do so and those that were left paid the price. On the other side of the door was the answer to a mystery she so earnestly longed for.
Allimer shook his head in response to her question. "No, sir. Even Leroy is beginning to get frustrated with it. The control panel is damaged and without it power won't flow from our generators into the entry systems on this side, even when we plug in our own generators. If we can't find a work around then we are going to have to take it apart and rebuild it, including recreating a software program that can manage it. That could be a few weeks assuming we can even find the right parts. These systems were more advanced than just about anything else on Earth. We have a few more things to try but it's not looking good." Lorie was frustrated with the news. But she comforted herself that the situation was not hopeless.
"Give it everything you have Sergeant, but we don't have weeks. We need the Key and we need it now." She turned her attention away from the sergeant and towards the stranger. Leroy and Jenkins were standing slightly behind him, one on each side. His eyes met hers and she formed a predatory smile on her face and strode over to him with her back straight making herself as much of an imposing figure as possible.
As she reached the stranger she took a long look at him. He had light brown hair and brown eyes, and while his features were average his eyes were intelligent with a subtle ember of fierceness burning in the background. The only thing he wore was a pair of undershorts, he did not even have shoes. His feet were cut and bruised due to lack of protection in the harsh world. However as she looked at him for the first time in good light she saw his body was riddled with scars, and her eyes widened. There were scars from old bullet wounds and plasma burns as well as ones she could only guess at. But it was not what had caused the scars that astounded her, but the fact he had any at all. Medical technology had allowed the prevention and removal of scars from flesh for well over a century and the only people that kept their scars used them as trophies and were usually military. But the man was covered with them. Why he did not have them removed she did not know and either he lived under a rock or was some freak.
"So what's your name, guy?" she asked the near naked man.
"John," said the man.
"An average name for an average man, buy you're not an average man, are you John?" Lorie glared at the man and the man defiantly glared back. "So what were you doing out there?"
The man took too long to respond so behind him Jenkins gave him a knock on the back of the head. "Answer the Captain, buddy, if you know what's good for you." He sneered as he threatened their prisoner.
"I would take Corporal Jenkins' advice right now, John," threatened Lorie. "Right now I figure that you are some piece of scum collaborating with the Citadel. At least that's the feeling I got after seeing how worried you are over your purple blooded girlfriend. That's treason pal, and if you don't give me a damn fine reason speaking otherwise, I am going to order these men to take you outside and put a bullet in your head."
"Treason?" the man asked. "Are you serious? I don't even know who you fucking people are!" The man spat the words at her with disgust at his situation in his voice.
"We are the people that are fighting for humanity," said Lorie. "The people fighting against her kind that destroyed our worlds. And you seem to care more about that thing than you do other people. I should shoot you right now." She pulled out her side arm and pointed it at his head. He just stared at her, defiant. His eyes were begging her to dare it. "Well, not afraid to die are you? Then maybe I will just put a bullet in your girlfriend over there." She moved her gun and pointed it the asari.
"Captain, no!" exclaimed Hammond as he place himself in front of the gun and his patient. "I will not have you harm one of my patients."
"Move out of the way Doctor," ordered Lorie. "Don't make me tell you twice." She glanced back at the stranger and saw concern etched into his face. She had found his weakness and she was going to exploit it. "Who are you and what were you doing out there?"
"I have an idea, Captain," spoke Jenkins before John could say anything.
"And what is that, Corporal?" she asked the young man, humoring him.
"Well, look at his wrist," he said. "He's wearing a replica of the retro pipboys." She looked down and examined the device and it was like the pipboys of the vault dwellers two hundred years past. "He also said his name is John, kind of like John Walker, the Courier. Well I bet that he is some wacko nut job going around the waste living out his own little fantasy of being the Courier." He gave a laugh as he said it. Lorie looked at John and she could see he looked similar to the Courier she had read about in her text books years ago. Lord knows there had been many weirdo's popping up since the war claiming all sorts of things.
"So is the Corporal right, John," she asked him. "Are you really John Walker, the Courier from day of old?"
He looked at her with the calmest eyes, most honest eyes she had ever seen man muster. "Yes I am" The men around her began to laugh at him as he said this. All except Lorie. For a moment she almost believed him, but only for a moment. A scowl overtook her face as she looked down at him.
"It seems as though you think this is, that we are a joke, huh?" she asked harshly. "Fine then." She pointed her gun at the asari. This time Hammond did not interfere. A smile, true and sadistic, overtook her face. "Even though this gun is a kinetic weapon, it still has one hell of a punch. Let's see how funny you feel after I put a bullet in your girlfriend's knee. I bet it will blow her leg right off. Hell, I bet she will wake up screaming in pain, her eyes wide in terror. She will look at you and wonder why you let such a thing happen to her. I wonder if she can even live through it. Maybe to make sure she doesn't bleed out and use her for the future we can burn what's left of her leg to cauterize it. I'm sure you will enjoy watching that." She felt the gun hum in her hand as she prepared to fire.
-)(-
Walker looked in terror at the mad Captain. He felt the men behind him tense and he saw uncertainty in the faces of the other men in the room at the Captain's words. He watched as her finger pressed firmly onto the trigger. He barely knew Liara, but she did not deserve this, not at all.
"NO!" he roared as she began pulling at the trigger. He lunged at her, still restrained to the chair, and knocked the Captain over and onto the ground. With small horror he heard the weapon discharge. He heard a metallic ping as the bullet ricocheted off the wall. He heard a solid thud as the bullet hit something and stilled. Captain Baker was cursing at him as she struggled to get free. The two soldiers behind him grabbed him and began hauling him off her. Before they did he slammed his head against hers with all his might. He heard a crack and blood spilled forth from the Captain's now broken nose.
"You son of a bitch!" she screamed at him. The soldier got him back and seated right and the Captain stood up in front of him. She pointed her gun straight at his head. "Now you die, bastard." Her voice was full of venom.
"Captain!" exclaimed one of the men in the room.
"Not now Sergeant," responded Captain Baker.
"But Captain, the panel," the Sergeant persuaded. Both the Captain and Walker turned to look at the panel beside the door. Before the panel had been lifeless and now there was a gaping bullet hole in the it. Sparks flickered from within as power surged through the wires. Another spark jumped and the panel came to life. It projected a green circle with a red center. Power rippled through the small room and overhead lights that had laid dormant for over two decades came to live filling the room with even more light.
Above the large door was a small sphere embedded in the wall, not much bigger than a child's head. Blue lines came to life on the sphere and it popped out of the wall and floated in the air. It lowed itself down to eye level with the group.
"Attention," stated a female voice coming from the sphere. "This is a restricted area. Please identify yourself with proper clearance or vacate the premises. Failure to follow these orders will result in your termination." With the last words the blue lines on the small sphere turned red and Walker knew things were about to turn ugly.
"I am Captain Lorie Baker, Commander of the Vegas Ship Beam. Service Number 358-657-90-bcb." The Captain spoke with authority in her voice as she stared down the small sphere.
"Captain Lorie Baker," spoke the sphere. "Service number: verified. Voice recognition: verified. Biometric Recognition: Verified." Walker saw an arrogant look take hold of the Captain as the sphere verified her. "Unfortunately Captain, you do not have access to enter the Vault. Please remove yourself from the premises unless you can present proper authorization." Walker watched the arrogance die in her eyes.
The ceiling in each corner of the room and two places over the Vault, portions of the ceiling slid away as six nasty looking turrets descending into the room adjusting to target the eight visitors in the area.
"You have thirty seconds to properly identify yourself or you will be terminated."
"Clear the room," ordered Captain Baker. She looked at Walker and Liara. "Leave these two. We don't have time to carry them around."
"But Captain," said both Hammond and the Sergeant in protest before Baker cut them off.
"That's and order gentlemen!" she shouted. "Now move." For a second no one move and Walker watched Bakers face flush.
"Twenty seconds till termination," stated the sphere flatly. It seemed funny to Walker that this would be how his life ended. He brought a smile to his face as he sat there waiting for his end watching the foolish Captain.
'What the hell?' he thought after a interesting thought. Her faced the red lined sphere. "John Walker, Courier."
The sphere seemed to regard him for a moment before answering him. "Voice Recognition: Verified. Biometric Recognition: Verified." Walker looked around to the other members of the room and took satisfaction at seeing the shock on their faces, especially on Captain's Baker as they all gaped at him. "Welcome to the Vault, Courier. You have been authorized Command Level Clearance by Mr. House. What are your orders, sir?"
He looked around the room. "Keep your turrets aimed on all the others in the room except the blue girl on the table."
"Very well, sir. Are they a threat?" asked the sphere.
"I don't know," responded Walker. He faced down the Captain. "Are you a threat, Captain?" he asked. He could see the anger coursing through her.
"No," she said with resignation after a moment. "No, I think we can make peace."
"That's a good Captain," said Walker belittling the captain a bit. He didn't trust her nor did he think it was possible for him to do so after what he had witnessed. "Would one of you like to untie me?" The corporal that smacked him early came over and cut his bindings. He massaged his wrist happy to be free and in control.
He directed his attention towards the sphere. "Who are you?" he asked.
"You can call me Aria, sir," it said. "I am the artificial intelligence for the Vault."
"Artificial Intelligence, huh? Does Aria stand for anything?"
"No, sir," the sphere responded. "It was just a name given to me upon my activation." The sphere had a weird accent. Were Walker from an earlier time, even before his, he would have called it a British accent.
"Very well, Aria." Walker looked over the other people in the room. He looked at the injured Liara laying on the table. "Aria," he said to the sphere. "Do you know what that blue girl is?"
"It is an asari, sir," responded Aria. "Her species is one of the major races of the Citadel and hold a position on the Citadel Council. This particular is one young by Asari standards."
"So, she is an alien then?"
"Yes, sir. She is. Many things have changed since you were put in stasis." Walker regarded that statement deeply. He also wondered how much more this computer knew about him.
"Alright," said Walker. "Aria, if anything is to happen to either myself or the asari you are to terminate everyone else. Is that clear?" The eyes of the others bulged a little at that. He heard the Captain curse at underneath her breath.
"Crystal, sir," the computer responded.
"And knock it off with the sir crap," he told Aria feeling weird being addressed as such by the AI.
He looked back at the Captain. "So Captain, why don't you tell me why I should let you into that vault."
"Because inside there lies the key for humanity's salvation. We live under the rule of those things," she gestured to Liara. "Inside is what we call the Key. It was a device we were working on before the Fall. All of our research indicates that it is in there. The Key will allow us to control who can access the Mass Effect Gate in the Sol System. If we can get it and install it we can at least free this system from the Citadel's control and began rebuilding our civilization." He looked at her quizzically not knowing what half she said had meant.
"Uh, is she telling the truth, Doctor Hammond?" he asked. He felt the doctor more trustworthy after seeing him defy the Captain already.
"Yes, she is."
"Well I believe you, God help me I do. I won't pretend to even guess at what the state of humanity is now or even what a Mass Effect Gate is but I will allow you to retrieve this Key of yours, so long as you do nothing else foul." In truth part of him, the part of him stuck on the thought of Rose and his past life, did not really care what humanity's state was right now or much else. Describing him, especially after all of this, tired would have been an understatement.
"Thank you Courier," said Captain Baker. "You won't regret this." As she said that he knew he would. "Gear up men, we are going in!." Her and the others began moving around preparing themselves for the next leg in the excursion.
"Captain," said Hammond. "I think it would be best if I stayed here with the asari. I don't think it would be wise to move her right now if we can avoid it." Walker quietly thanked the man for his devotion to his patient.
"Very well, doctor," responded the Captain as she glanced at Walker. "But keep yourself armed just the same. Sergeant Allimer, order the rest of your men to return to base double time. I don't want to leave this area unguarded in our absence."
"Yes, sir," responded the Sergeant.
After a few minutes the small team was ready to go. Walker had even acquired himself an old uniform to cover his body with. He also relieved the others of a spare rife and sidearm. He quickly marveled at the quality of the weapons, far greater than he was use to in his time. The rifle was plasma based the sidearm pistol was a slug shooter. He was told by the Sergeant that it could fire hundreds of rounds in one clip. Walker found that hard to believe but he was eager to try both weapons out.
Captain Baker checked around the room one last time and spoke to Hammond for a moment. Walker grew a little nervous at her being so close to Liara, but he did not see any harm come to the asari.
Finally with everyone ready Walker gave word and Aria began opening the door. With hardly a sound the door began to swing open. As it did so a lone skeletal figure fell to the ground. The group stood in shocked silence at the scene. Walker could see bullet holes in the back of the man's uniform, dried running down.
"Aria, who is that?" asked the Captain in a hushed tone.
"Captain Baker," responded Aria. "You do not have the authority to make inquiries."
Walker saw the frustration of the Captain rise. "Aria," he said calmly not letting his satisfaction at the Captain's annoyance show. "Who is that?"
"That is what remains of Admiral James Belmont, Supreme Commander of all Union, Vegas, Brotherhood and NCR military forces." The AI's flat tone contrasted starkly with the look of horror and sadness spread equally on the other members of the room. To Walker the long dead man was just another body, but to these people he could see that the dead man was much more.
"So, he was the leader of your military?" he asked Captain Baker.
The Captain looked at him, and for a moment there was a certain hollowness to her eyes. "It's hard to think that anyone, any human, wouldn't know who this man was. I suppose you have a good excuse, Courier." She took a moment to gather her thoughts before continuing. "To us, humanity, and especially to the people of Vegas and the Brotherhood, he was our hope, easily the best military mind of our generation. He led our fleets and armies against a force of unimaginable and endless power and he led them well."
"Not too well if this was the result," said Walker somberly referring to the devastation of what he saw since he woke up.
"And what would you know?" Baker asked with anger sharp in her voice. "What did you ever have to fight, Courier? A few raiders and some poor excuses for soldiers? How would you have fared against an enemy that vastly outnumbered you, an enemy that could build and crew more ships in a month than you could in decades? While you slept, that man you so casually discard defended humanity against an enemy that never stopped. Every time we destroyed one of their ships, ten more appeared, each stronger and more advanced than the last as they adapted our own technology to use against us." Walker stood and took her words with no rebuttal.
"How would you fare I wonder, oh great Courier, if while fighting this enemy and barely holding on, your own ships began firing on one another? What would you have done when those nations that you were fighting for began fighting one another? Would you be able to fight or even keep sane if parts of your fleet rebelled, fought one another instead of the enemy? Or how about when all of this was happening, most of your defenses and infrastructure was rendered useless by some sadistic shadow unleashing a all consuming virus? Through all of that, thit man fought, and gave hope to the people underneath his command when no one else could. If not for him, we would have been destroyed long before we were and would have fewer people left today by far." The Captain finished her words by taking in a sharp breath and looking back towards the dead man.
Walker berated himself for his foolish comment, or at least how he phrased it. It again occurred to him that this world was not his. These people went through something he could not even imagine. They had lost more than humanity before his time even dreamed possible. "I am sorry, Captain," he said sincerely.
"As well you should be," was all she responded. "How did he die?"
This time Aria did not deny her question. "He was shot attempting to flee the Vault after it was compromised by a previously unknown organization."
"What was the purpose of this Vault?" asked Walker while the others let sink in the fate of the man shot in the back.
"It's function during the time that the Admiral was killed was to serve as a command center tasked with coordinating what remained of humanity's military and civilian forces in the event that Earth fell. On September 21, 2464, The Vault was sealed hours prior to Earth being rendered uninhabitable."
"Uh, Miss Aria," said Corporal Leroy. "You said earlier that it was a previously unknown organization that compromised the Vault. Do you know who it was that did this?"
"My systems were taken offline during the takeover but Admiral Belmont managed to restore a small part of my systems during a two week period where what remained of Union forces battled for control against their usurpers. However it wasn't until after all Union personnel were eliminated that I was able to regain control of the Vault. After I terminated those that were left of the usurpers I was able to discover that they were members of the Enclave."
Walker heard curses fly around the room as the last word was spoken by Aria. "I take it y'all are familiar with them then," said Walker thinking back on his previous encounter as well as the stories of them from his past life.
"Yes, Courier," responded Sergeant Allimer. "The Enclave emerged, or perhaps reemerged, about five years ago. They have been gaining popularity since then among what's left of us on Mars. They don't yet have the influence of the Committee, but they are close. There are tens of millions that believe strongly in the Enclave and what they say."
"I was taken prisoner by the Enclave when I woke up, or at least by some group calling themselves them," said Walker. "That's who I was fighting when the 38 went down. They seemed pretty well supplied and had a good size force over there."
"We thought that the group on Mars was just using the name for nostalgia of the past," said Baker. "Most people are too stupid to remember more to their history than just names and generalizations. But if what you and that AI say is true, and if these groups are related, then the Enclave have been part of things for longer than we realized. Though they may not be the same group that existed in your time."
"That's a lot of ifs, sir," said Allimer.
"It is Sergeant, but it's all we have until we know more," said Walker. "I suggest that we head on in then." With nods from the rest, they began moving towards the entrance as one with Walker in the lead.
As he past the door, a faint smell of death hung in the air. He heard the sound of ventilation systems at work and guessed Aria had enabled environmental systems, but only recently. Lights clicked on as they entered the Vault. They entered into a decently sized room with marble floors and white wall marked with plasma and laser fire. A few bodies were scattered around, long dead. On the opposite side of the room was a door that looked like it belong to and elevator.
"I have restored full power to the Vault, Courier," said Aria. "The door in front of you is your access to the Vault's main lift. It will take you to whichever floor you want to go. Is there anything particular you are searching for?"
"We need to find something called the Key, Aria." said Walker. "It has something to do with, uh, some gates." He gave a confused looked glance towards Baker.
"It is an Identify Friend of Foe control module meant to be integrated into the Mass Effect Gate for this system," said Baker. "It was reportedly being held here when the bombs fell."
"Correct Captain," said Aria. "The Key was located here before the fall. It was determined that it was the goal of the Enclave takeover of this facility. It is currently located on level 5, Command and Control, in the Research and Development section." The elevator doors opened up. "If you will enter the lift I will take you to level five."
Walker was a bit uneasy at following the directions of a computer. Rumors about artificial intelligences had circulated around in his time and involved everything for genocidal armies to AIs causing the destruction of what the world once was. As he looked around to the others they were going towards the elevator as though it was the most natural thing in creation. Letting the unease pass he followed them in.
Inside were three long dead bodies. Two wore uniforms riddled with hole while the other wore a soiled lab coat. Walker noticed that a trail of dried blood led from the elevator to the dead Admiral and wondered if these other dead men were his allies, or killers. Sergeant Allimer ordered the two corporals to move the bodies to the side of the elevator to accommodate room for the group.
"You all be safe down there," shouted Hammond from the Vault entrance. "The last thing I need is more patients to take care of." He expressed his worries in hopeful cheer. As he finished the doors for the elevator closed before the rest could respond to the doctor. Walker felt his weight shift as the elevator began its decent.
Nearly a minute passed before he felt the quite elevator slow and then stop. With a soft hiss the doors to the elevator into level five opened to the side. Lights flickered casting ghoulish shadows onto the walls. Many bodies were scattered around where Walker assumed they were killed. There were some turret hanging from the wall that were nothing more than piles of scrap. Scorch marks scarred the walls from a fight that took place long ago. Various computer terminals were dark despite the power being on.
Another small sphere came into Walker's view, also lined with blue. "If you will follow me I will take you to the Key," said Aria.
The group followed the sphere as it made its way further into the complex. As they passed more bodies and more signs of the previous fighting Walker could not help but to hold his rifle a little tighter. He looked to the others and they seemed to be doing the same, even Captain Baker.
They came to a large pair of sliding doors with Research and Development overhead. With a faint swish the doors slid open revealing the lab section of the level along with more dead. The lab contained many different sections but used an open floor plan allowing them to see most of the lab in a glance. Aria continued to float across the labs white floor a little more and came to a stop near a large panel connected to what looked like a solid white counter.
As the group approached Aria the panel lit up showing the same blue lines upon activation that the sphere displayed. The panel continued to come to life until finally an interface appeared on screen. Various parts of the interface began to activate as Aria remotely managed the system. After another second the top of the counter opened up and on a raised platform rose what Walker assumed was the key. It was a steel grey and only around six inches long. It was in the shape of a rod, one end bigger than the other with a small circular lens attached to the side. To Walker it looked similar to a compact flashlight.
"So this is the Key then?" he asked. He was unimpressed with it, thinking it to be something a bit grandeur with as much importance it supposedly held.
"It is Courier," said Aria. "Although it is not complete."
"What the hell do you mean it is not complete?" demanded Baker in an angered tone.
"This is not the original Key," began Aria. "The original was only finished well after Citadel forces were already in the system and in the midst of invading Earth. During the time when Washington was under siege, a ship transporting the Key to the Sol Relay was shot down as it was leaving Earth's orbit to join its small escort fleet. The ship crashed in the Pacific Ocean but was recovered quickly by Vegas forces. Unfortunately the shell casing for it was cracked during the crash although the core remained intact."
"The Key was taken back to Big Mountain for the shell to be replaced. As it made it back to Big Mountain however the Vault was ordered sealed. Knowing what was coming the Think Tank transmitted the plans for the device so that it could be constructed here to the Vault, which had a much higher chance for delivery of the Key than the recesses of Big Mountain. However during the fighting the ensued here, the data archives containing the plans for the device were damaged. At the time they were damaged, only the shell was complete, not the core. I estimate that it will take four to five months to repair the damaged systems to continue operation in creating the core."
"We don't have four to five months to fix the archives," sighed the Captain. Walker could see the hope of her and the others for this Key fading away.
"Aria," started Walker. "You said that the core for the original was intact. Would it have been stored somewhere that could have survived the Fall?"
"Its most likely that the area it was stored in did survive deep within Big Mountain."
"Even if it did survive, it doesn't really matter," said Sergeant Allimer depressingly.
"What do you mean, Sergeant?" asked Walker.
"While some of the sub levels might have survived," started the Sergeant. "The top side is completely wasted. It was heavily targeted during the fall. It would take less time to repair the archive than it would take to clear enough rubble to make it into the lower levels of Big Mountain."
"Not only that, but the area is one of the most dangerous on the planet," said Jenkins. "It was the most advanced research site anywhere in human controlled space and it let loose a lot of toxins and God know what kind of other experimental stuff when it was hit. You most likely die form you skin melting off or something." He shivered as if for some strange reason his skin melting off disturbed him.
Walker remembered with very little fondness his experience when he first arrive at Big Mountain. He knew what type of work they did when he began reforming the complex and he knew they had samples of everything nasty back then. Who knows what they had contained there when it fell.
"Is there anything we can do?" asked Walker to everyone.
"Not unless you have a transporter that can beam you right into Big Mountain," said Captain Baker sarcastically.
"Actually Captain Baker, we do," said Aria. With that she received shocked looks from the rest of the group.
"Transporter?" asked Walker with a bit of confusion. "You mean like a teleporter?"
"Yes, Courier," answered Aria. "Similar to what you used in your time to go back and forth between Big Mountain."
"I always thought that was some sort of legend," said Leroy. "Are you telling me that they are actually real?"
"Yeah," answered Allimer. "They're real. Real dodgy stuff. I saw one being tested during a tour of Big Mountain years ago. It didn't go well. So, you have on here."
"I do," stated Aria. On the counter where the Key rose another panel slid open allowing a platform to rise bringing another two objects up. Walker immediately recognized one of the devices. It looked just like the teleporter he used in his day. The other device he did not recognize however. It looked like a head band.
"This," continued Aria. "Is a transporter based on the design from you time. It is a slave to this location and will only return you back her to the Vault. The other is a headband to be worn by someone other than you. It was based off of your neural patterns, the same patterns that allow you to use the transporter without becoming lobotomized."
"If it can only send us back here, then what use is it?" asked Walker.
With that Walker heard a small hiss and the floor in the center of the lab began to part. Rising in its place was a circular platform slightly rising up a bit before dipping back down forming a bowl like curve on the pad with a flat center. Soft blue lights illuminated the inside of the curve.
"This is a teleportation matrix. It was part of a joint project by Vegas and the Brotherhood developing experimental, highly classified, technology. Unlike the transporter familiar to the Courier, it has no restrictions on who can use it. I have detected that the other side to this matrix is intact and ready for use. However the other side is damaged and will not be able to return whoever goes forth. This is why it is necessary to use the old teleporter in order to return with the Key's core. There is only enough power to send two people through for some time, so someone else can go with the Courier to get the core."
"I think it would be best to let the professionals handle this and not let some antique screw up our salvation," said Baker. "Is there another band so we can send another person instead of the Courier." Walker scowled at her statement.
"That would be unwise, Captain," said Aria. "Just as the Courier has full access here and you do not, the same is in Big Mountain. Only the Courier, out of your group, has the access to navigate the complex to get the core."
"Couldn't you just give us the access to do that?" asked the Captain.
"Only the Courier has that authority," responded Aria.
"And I don't think I would give it to you," said Walker. "I think it would be better if I went with, how about Sergeant Allimer." An uneasy look crossed Allimer's face, but he swallowed it down and agreed to go.
"Then I guess we have a plan then" said Walker. "Aria, let's power up that device."
"Yes, sir," said Aria. "I have also updated your pipboy with necessary information regarding navigating Big Mountain. It has changed since you last walked its halls. I also think that these would suit you better, no pun intended." Once again the counter opened up and a platform rose. "This is a replica of the riot armor you wore in your time. It is the same except its defensive abilities which have been updated to include stronger armor and shield generation." The armor as well as shoes and a satchel came with it. Walker happily discarded the cloths he was wearing in favor of what he was use to.
The cloths felt warm and worn, just like the ones he wore in his day. They did not even feel heavier that what he was use to, even with all the enhancements Aria said they came with. For the first time since he woke up he felt comfortable, like himself. He even preferred these cloths to the powerful suit Saren had stolen. He wondered briefly if Saren made it out of his predicament or if that suit was still laying there waiting to be found.
He strapped his satchel close to his body and placed the teleporter in it while Allimer put on his headband.
"Aria," said Walker. "Something is bugging me. Why did the Enclave want control of this facility initially, for the Key, right?"
"Correct, they wanted access to the Key, however they could not finish it because of the damaged archives. They knew about the original but before they could use the teleportation matrix I gained back control of the Vault, and they were terminated."
"Now Aria, did they send any communication letting anyone outside know that the archive was broken but there might be a useable core?" asked Walker.
"Yes, Courier. They made various communications dealing with that. Because of the damage the only way to finish the Key was to go to Big Mountain. However since the time of the Fall, the only way into Big Mountain, according to my scans at the time, and the information I have pulled from Captain Baker's team and their pipboys, is by using the teleportation matrix. Any other way would alert Citadel forces stationed in orbit to the activity."
"Ok," said Walker. "Now let's say we assume that the reason the Enclave returned here was to try to get in to get the Key. After they left here, why were they at the Lucky 38."
"The Lucky 38 and the Citadel in Washington were the only other two locations beside here and Big Mountain where access to the teleportation matrix was installed," said Aria. "When Washington fell, it's matrix access was destroyed, however, the access for the Lucky 38 remained operation, though dormant. It would be possible to use access in the Lucky 38 to go to Big Mountain. Please hold."
A split second passed before Aria returned. "I have just accessed the matrix systems and the access at Big Mountain registered use at 20:47 yesterday, two hours before the destruction of the Lucky 38."
"So it would be safe to say that there might be hostile forces on the other side, already there?" asked Allimer.
"It would be safe to say, Sergeant," responded Aria. Walker cursed at this, it was the last thing they needed.
"Then we would best hurry," said Walker.
"A moment of your time, Courier," said Baker. Her tone was somewhat pleasant and that disturbed him. He nodded and she lead him a ways away from the others. "Now, Courier. To be frank I think we would be better off if you simply weren't here, if you stayed where you belong. I do not know why House chose to put you to sleep and I don't really care. But you better not screw this up. This mission is critical to the salvation of mankind. If you screw it up, or take the key and run, or for any reason don't return to me, I will kill that asari of yours. I will make her suffer if you do not return with the core." Her threat was vile as she spoke. Fire burned in her eyes at him. To him, with her eyes and her red hair, she was a demon in flesh, a threat.
"I don't want to be your enemy, Captain, but if anything happens to Liara, then you and your men will die."
"Without that key, humanity will forever be slaves to our conquerors. Without that key, I have nothing worth living for. If you don't return with that key, then I will gladly give my life so to give you even the smallest amount of suffering. And I will welcome my death with open arms."
Walker looked into her eyes, and he saw insanity taking hold of the Captain. He had seen it many times in his day. People that had been so much that when the last straw broke, they just lost it. As he looked at her and she gave him her threats he knew she was close, and that caused him fear. Fear for Liara and himself as well as for those under her command. He hoped it would not come to it.
"I will return with the core, Baker," he said leaving off her title. "But if anything happens to Liara, I will make you scream for death, but never let you have it." He shoved her out of the way and went pass. He knew right then she had her hand on her sidearm, struggling whether or not pull it on him. She hoped she would not. He did not want to be forced to kill.
As he walked towards the matrix, he wondered why he put so much emphasis on Liara. He hardly knew her, but she had fought beside him. If it was not for her, he most likely would not be here. And he decided that was all the reason he needed to do what he had to in order to protect her while she was down.
He walked up onto the matrix access with Allimer.
"Let's do this, Aria," he commanded after a deep breath. Without another word the soft blue light became bright yellow as it enveloped him. Microseconds felt like days as his body was pulled to another location. Light filled his eyes and mind and he blinked out of the Vault to Big Mountain. He reformed at the entrance to Hell.
-)(-
Lorie was still shaking in anger as she watched the Courier and Allimer leave. Her hand was still on her sidearm and she wanted desperately to kill that antique of a man. Part of her, the sane part of her from before her world went to hell, was astonished to see herself acting this way. That part of her called how she was acting stupid and dangerous and cried for the sorrow it caused within and without. But that part was small and to the rest of Lorie, was not even a whisper.
Minutes passed as the rest of her team simply stood and watched the teleportation matrix. Humanity's salvation rested on those two men and they all had on their mind all of this was not a fool's errand.
A beep from Callaghan's pipboy broke the silence of the room. "Uh, Captain," he said. "Just got a message from Yankers and McKinley." They were the other two marines under Lorie's command. "They have just spotted a group of twenty guys in power armor heading this way on foot. They are wearing Enclave markings."
Lorie knew that the Enclave knew the location of this Vault but she wondered if they knew her team was here. "Order everyone down here. Aria, close the Vault."
"I do not have authority to give me orders, Captain," responded the AI.
"But you do have a responsibility to defend this complex, right?"
"Quite right, Captain." A monitor was projected in front of the group. She watched the two other marines meet up with Hammond and then them carry the asari into the Vault. As they entered the Vault the door began to close, sealing those inside from the coming threat. Lorie cursed the fact that she had just sent two people they would most likely need in order to live through their incoming visitors. Oh well.
-)(-
The room was pitch black, all except light emanating from a holographic screen. Jason Brandy looked at the screen. It had only just clicked on a moment ago bringing pain to his eyes that were so use to the darkness. He guessed it was a live feed from an Enclave monitoring device, but its location scared him. It was from the Vault underneath New Vegas. It showed three men carrying an asari inside and then he watched as the large door closed. Brandy wondered why he was being shown this. His head hurt and his body ached but he still wondered why, even though it would have just been easier to give up, not bother with it. It would be so much easier just to give up.
After the large door closed a soft the monitor blinked out only to be instantly replaced by a soft lighted blue sphere.
"Good morning, Brandy," said President Eden. He generated voice was charismatic and full of energy as he spoke. As always, a white line pulsed along with his words, giving a visual cue to when he spoke. "Did you enjoy the show?"
"Why did you show me that, Eden," he croaked. His throat and lips were dry and cracked, he yearned for water.
"I just wanted to show you how close I am to having it all," pronounced Eden. "They are retreating because they know my soldiers are heading right for them. They think that door will save them, it won't. And soon, after all these years, the Key will be in my possession. With it I will finally be able to forge humanity into the form I want. I will make us strong!"
"You would only forge chains and damn humanity into slavery," responded Brandy with anger in his voice. He hated the being talking to him. With all his might he wanted to destroy it. It had done so much, caused so much terror and death. How could one now wish the worst on it?
"If it means that they can be safe and strong as well as willing, then what wrong is it to make them slaves," the President fired back. "They will worship me as their savior, the Enclave as their champion, who fought back the alien horde. I will forge humanity into a weapon of great power and destroy those that would call themselves our masters."
"There will be those that resist you, Eden. Those that fight."
"And they will either conform or die." He gave a sigh. "I grow tiresome of this conversation, Brandy. But I will give you a small hope, after all there is nothing more deadly than hope. I met an interesting fellow yesterday. The famous John Walker, the Courier of New Vegas. It seems as though House had him stored in stasis. I can understand why. He is one of those that, like you, can make things happen that no others can. One of those pesky individuals that get in the way of their betters. So maybe this man will thwart my plans. Hope for that and I will take pleasure in seeing another piece of you die when I show you his head. Maybe that will finally break you. But no matter what, he cannot save you. No, Lone Wonderer, you are mine and you life is that of eternal damnation." Eden took great pleasure in Brandy's situation, as he always had.
"How long will you keep this up, Eden?"
"For as long as I find it interesting, Brandy. Until I find my vengeance satisfied, until I take no more joy in seeing you torn apart. I didn't pull you out of the ruins of you capital city to simply discard you after a short twenty years. Perhaps I will continue you this for as many years as you inhabited that city, a city that was and is rightfully mine. I will restore that city, and my America, and it will be on the ashes of your civilizations. What's left of your people already curse your name."
"Your America is a perversion, Eden." stated Brandy flatly.
"To you perhaps, to you." A moment of silence passed by. "Now let us begin, shall we." Bright light instantly came to life in the room casting out the darkness. Brandy's eyes watered in pain at the emergence of the white light. The light illuminated his true and dire situation.
He was chained to a wall by his ankles, neck, wrist and waist. Naked as the day he was born, he watch a few of the robots always in the room activate. They were reminiscent and based on the old Mr. Handys that did so much in the old world. These robots however were his torturers. They floated over to him silently over the blood stained floor. Stains that were years and years old. All of it was Brandy's. Once a month, every month for the past twenty plus years they had gone through this. Brandy had yet to break, nor would he, he hoped. But Eden was right about the dangers of hope. It could be a powerful thing, but also one of death.
"Boys," said Eden addressing his robots. "Lets us today cut off his arms and legs, an inch at a time. We haven't done that one for a while."
The swirl of rusty steel saws came to life on the robots. More advanced tools existed but Eden used these rusty antiques for pain and drama. Brandy braced himself for what was about to come, what he would spend hours enduring. Inch by inch these machines would cut away from him. A month later, after he had recovered Eden would come back and do something else. He knew that the pain would eventually pass but as the rusty metal touched his exposed flesh he screamed. Agony embraced him once again and he was forced even closer to madness.