It stood in front of them staring about with blank eyes. Calli looked at Hawk and shrugged. They went on down the rows of cages, the Deathclaw following behind them. None of the other animals wore headpieces so she left them alone. They started to exit the other side of the building when the beast suddenly rushed past them into the night.
The sound of growls and screams was followed shortly by the bzzt of laser fire. The growls ceased with the thud of a heavy body. So much for using Deathclaws as a weapon. Sally edged around the building to where she could see an Enclave soldier bending over a fallen comrade. Well, at least it had taken out one before being mowed down. She could see the bulk of the huge body sprawled in the moonlight. Leveling her shotgun she took out the soldier before he could spot her.
They moved quickly through the open ground to the next hangar. More cages ran the length of the building. Calli glanced in them as they went past but didn't free any more of the creatures. There was nothing else of interest in the hangar. They approached the other exit cautiously and peered out. The moon was waning as the pre-dawn began to lighten the sky. The light glistened off the barricades scattered on the tarmac between her and the building she had to get to. She could see the control tower on the other side of the open area. She motioned to Hawk to take out the missile launcher. It was a little close, but if they were careful to stay in cover they shouldn't take much shrapnel. After a couple hits they would move in while the soldiers were recovering.
The way was cleared without taking more than a few minor injuries. Calli opened the door to the control tower and slipped inside. Hawk moved ahead of her to help take out any opposition. No one seemed to be in the tower except for a guard robot which Hawk took care of while she hurried up to the control area. She checked out all the control computers. One activated a stairwell to allow access to the mobile base that was her goal. She lowered the stairwell before going through a door onto the open vertibird landing pad to observe the areas surrounding them.
The Brotherhood was engaging the Enclave on three sides. The bzzt of laser fire, chatter of machine guns and blasts of grenades were all too familiar to her. She didn't dare wonder how many of the men she knew wouldn't make it back today. She studied the space between her and the mobile base then turned and stepped back in to exit the tower.
They left the control tower and hugged the wall, studying the open tarmac between them and the mobile base. Open but not empty. The space was littered with Enclave barricades. Calli motioned to Hawk and he slid around the side of the building. They came at the barricades from both sides and punched a way through. Calli headed for the mobile base while Hawk kept the soldiers busy. The whir of a vertibird was followed by a spectacular crash and a deafening explosion. Fire lit the sky. The Brotherhood was keeping the Enclave from lifting off.
Calli ducked behind the last empty barricade and targeted a soldier defending the stairwell. The familiar whine of Hawk's mini-gun added to the chaos. The soldiers fell from the stairwell. When the last one fell she sprinted for the stairwell, Hawk not far behind. They went into the mobile crawler with weapons drawn. A force field blocked the passage into the crawler but Calli had no trouble shutting it down. It led into a large room with multiple alcoves holding weapons, robots, medical supplies and other supplies and resources. A young man was found hiding in an alcove behind a robot.
"Don't kill me", he begged. "I'm not armed." Calli didn't lower her rifle.
"What are you doing here? Obviously you work for the Enclave.", she said grimly.
"I program and repair robots. I was starving when the Enclave found me. I owed them my life. They found out I was good with robots and they gave me this job. I haven't liked what they've been doing though. I've been looking for a way out of here. Let me go and I'll leave, I promise."
If they turned their backs on him, he could just kill them.
"Where would you go?", she asked.
"I want to take some of these working robots so I can make a fresh start. I'll have to go to the west or north, it's the only way I can get out of here with equipment like this. If the force fields are still up I'll have to go north." Calli considered him.
"What can you tell me about this place?", she asked. She listened carefully as he gave her detailed information on the layout and armaments of the crawler.
Calli nodded. "Go", she said. "Take this chance to leave. If you try anything you won't get another."
"Thank you. Thank you. You won't have any trouble out of me. I won't forget this. I'll pay you back some day, I promise. Bye." He scurried over to a large robot and activated it. He activated 2 more and headed for the exit. Calli watched him go until she was sure he was no threat. They headed up the stairs.
It would take them several hours to fight their way through the huge crawler. It truly was a mobile base with weapons rooms, scientific research areas and living quarters including barracks and kitchens. She finally made it through to the control room. While Hawk guarded her back she stepped over the bodies of the Enclave guards and hacked her way into the computer controlling the war satellite. Her fingers flew over the keys as she searched for the password. Once in she used the code in her Pip-boy to activate the satellite station. With quick strokes of the keyboard she called down a missile strike on the exact coordinates of the crawler.
Time to go if they didn't want to go up with the base. Even with the delay she had programmed they would have to hurry.
Hawk and Calli stepped out of the control tower onto the vertibird landing platform designated as the pickup point. She watched as the magnificent machine hovered for a moment before it set down. She looked around as the first missile hit the mobile base across the tarmac. She turned back toward the Brotherhood's machine in time to see Sarah stepping out, the flames of the explosion highlighting her tall, blonde figure.
"Hey, Sarah.", Calli said conversationally. "I'm so glad to see you're up."
"I bet you thought I'd never wake up", Sarah grinned. "Now come on, hurry up and get aboard before the whole place blows. We gotta get out of here." Calli caught a glimpse of a vertibird lifting off heading toward the west as she hastened onto the vertibird the Brotherhood commanded.
They could hear the blasts of the missiles striking the mobile base, blasting it out of existence. The vertibird shook from the shock waves as they fled the area. The conversation on the ride to the Citadel centered mostly on the battle for Adams Air Force Base. Calli had noticed Sarah's quiet demeanor but didn't get a chance to talk to her in private.
The Elder was waiting for them when they exited the vertibird. They accepted his congratulations on a job well done.
"Do you think that will be an end to the Enclave?", Calli asked him. He shook his head.
"We've dealt them a pretty hard blow but they're still around. I doubt they'll cause us much trouble for years if they recover at all. Only time will tell. In the meantime we have plenty of other problems to take care of. Meet me in my office at 3:00 this afternoon and we can discuss some options."
Finally they were dismissed and Sarah left. Calli hurried to catch up with her friend.
"What's wrong?", Calli asked worriedly. Sarah motioned toward the building.
"Let's go to my room.", she said quietly. Hawk and Calli exchanged quick glances before Hawk excused himself. This looked like woman talk to him.
"It's about Aaron.", Sarah said.
"What about him?", Calli asked.
"Well, before the explosion we were seeing each other."
"Sure, we know that. Everyone does. So what? Aren't you allowed to date him?", Calli asked, puzzled.
"Well, actually, we're discouraged from forming relationships outside the Brotherhood, but it's not a law or anything. No, the problem is the Tradewind's back now and he came to see me. He asked me to marry him.", Sarah said.
"Oh." Calli considered this. "Don't you want to marry him?"
"That's the problem. I do want to marry him. I love him. But if I marry him I can't stay in the Brotherhood unless he leaves the ship and joins us. He loves the sea, Calli. I can't ask him to do that. He'd start to hate me after a while, and I couldn't stand that. I don't know what to do."
"Have you considered leaving the Brotherhood?", Calli asked.
"I've been thinking about it, but what would I do? I'm not cut out to be a wife. I'm a soldier! I can't just quit doing what I've done my whole life. I can't live on a boat!", Sarah said.
"Ship.", Calli corrected absently, thinking. "Hmmmm. Let's go get Jack, Hawk, and Aaron and we'll all see if we can't come up with a solution. I have an appointment with your Dad in a couple hours so we don't have much time."
"All right.", Sarah agreed. "Let's go."
Jack accompanied Calli and Hawk to the Elder's office.
"Well, Calli, you have proven your worth to us once again. Dr. Bening tells me your suggestions were most helpful in bringing Sarah back. I can't tell you how much that means to me. I see you brought your husband. What can I do for you?", he asked Jack.
"Sir.", Jack said. "I have a request. We have need of an experienced soldier to lead my guard team at our shipyards in Baton Rouge and I would like to ask Sarah to join the team. Would you allow us to approach her about this position?" The old man leaned forward and considered. This could be the answer to his dilemma. He knew Sarah wanted to marry Aaron, and Aaron would never join the Brotherhood. Also, he had been uneasy ever since Calli's return. What if Sarah changed that much? Would her team still have faith in her?
"We don't usually allow Brotherhood members to serve in other units, but in Sarah's case I can make an exception. She can lead your guards and still maintain her Brotherhood membership so she can come back anytime she wants.", he said
When Sarah and Aaron approached him he wasn't surprised and agreed to officiate at their wedding. He let Aaron know that any time he wanted to join the Brotherhood he would be welcome. On a personal level he welcomed him to his family and told him he was pleased to have him for a son-in-law.
The ceremony was short and simple. Sarah and Aaron were married in the Citadel by her father. Mr. and Mrs. Lelland and Hawk were in attendance, as well as most of the Citadel. Sarah packed her few personal possessions, said goodbye to her father and friends, and boarded the Tradewind to join her husband. She stayed on board with him while the Tradewind made her stops at the posts for trading. Standing at the rail as they left the Island she watched the land fall behind, wondering if this was how Sally felt when the vault door clanged shut behind her. Then Aaron put his arm around her, and smiled down at her, and she turned from the shore to her new life.