"Order up!" a voice shouted from the kitchen. John looked up and watched the waiter grab the bowl of noodles from the counter and over to his table. The steaming bowl in front of him was so mouthwatering that he could not help but take a second to salivate over it.
John looked up at the waiter and thanked him before getting started on his meal. As he ate, his fellow diner returned from a work call and sat next to him at the bar.
"Oo that looks nice!" Dylan Wade, his coworker at the Brotherhood Human Intelligence officer. Unlike John, Dylan was a fully fledged member of the Brotherhood of Steel. However, she tended to mingle more with locals and local business than her counterparts. She waved the waiter back. "I'll have what he's having!" she called at him.
John finished his current slurp before trying to chat with Dylan.
"Finished saving the world?" he asked. She smiled.
"If only it were so interesting. No, we have new orders." Dylan reached into a belt pouch and produced a small scrap of paper that held her messy scribbles.
"Which part of the library are we to explore today? We've only covered the first floor in James Young's collection." John asked before stealing another bite from his bowl. Dylan shook her head.
"No book duty today, Mr. Sakamoto. Today we will go to headquarters." Dylan seemed excited. John wiped his mouth with his handkerchief before opening his mouth to speak.
"Why? We still haven't finished compiling the report of Scribe Angharad." John commented. The waiter returned with a piping hot bowl for Dylan and they two paused to conversation to allow her time to thank the waiter and prepare for her own culinary adventure.
"Big news today, the Brotherhood reached a deal with the Council." Dylan spoke even between bites. Somehow she managed to talk clearly while wolfing down her food. John watched intently and could not help finding the sight amusing. "So we need to go to Headquarters to get the new information and orders from Angharad himself. We might even see the Elder!" Her eyes lit up as she mentioned him.
"Elder Maxson?" John paused. While Dylan was absolutely enamored with the idea of meeting the legendary Elder, John could only remember the intense man who had recruited him from the militia so many weeks ago. His cold stare and gravelly voice captured John's imagination. What would that man have John do?
"Aren't you excited?!" Dylan asked giddily. Dylan was a relatively new Scribe, having been raised in the Capital Wasteland but recruited from one of the settlements instead of being raised in the Citadel like most Scribes. She and John were similar in that regard.
"Yeah." John grunted. He was naturally excited to go to headquarters and see if he could get more access into the Brotherhood records. Truthfully, he also couldn't help but feel like it was too soon to meet without something tangible he could offer to the Head Scribe.
After finishing their and paying, John followed Dylan out of the noodle shop and out into the street. It was filled with people leaving the inauguration of Cole Harper. People had eaten their fill and were now out for a day of fun given the rare day off from work. John was half-tempted to explore the city some more. Nearby there was a refurbished office building that was said to be home to many stalls of artists and local craftsmen. While his Brotherhood wage was pitiful, he was hopeful that he could find something that caught his eye.
"John!" Dylan called from the distance, having marched forward without waiting. "Let's go!" John tugged on his coat to have it fit better before running after her.
Before long, the two had walked a couple blocks from the noodle shop and back towards the Brotherhood outpost parked outside of the Haven hotel. Many Initiates were moving boxes out of the large tent into the open field as if they were taking down the tent. John and Dylan greeted the guards posted outside the tent and made their way to the briefing partition. Inside, Angharad and Maxson were already waiting.
"Sorry to keep you waiting!" Dylan shouted and saluted. John followed suit and tried not to let his nervousness show.
"At ease." Angharad huffed. "There's no need to make a big show, you'll attract unwanted attention."
"Unwanted?" John asked.
"Head Scribe Angharad and I are putting together a task force to conduct an important investigation. One that I think you two are well-suited for but also one we cannot simply talk to just anyone about." Elder Maxson spoke. He looked far more serious that during John's last encounter with the man. In fact, he seemed almost angry.
"There have been reports in recent works of strange energy readings consistent with an enemy of the Brotherhood of Steel."
"What kind of enemy?" Dylan asked, her previous excitement now dried up and replaced by military discipline. John hadn't seen this side of her before.
"We're not sure yet. Can you two be trusted with the true nature of our mission here in the PItt?" Elder Maxson asked. John felt like he was staring directly at John as he asked.
"Yes, sir!" Dylan exclaimed immediately. She almost shouted but quieted herself when given a look from Angharad.
"Yes, sir!" John repeated firmly. He didn't return the look from the Elder but tried his best to show his dedication. If he was going to get access to the Brotherhood records like he hoped, he needed to show this much. Elder Maxson nodded, as if satisfied, but something about his hawkish stare left John feeling unnerved.
"Good!" Angharad smiled. He reached behind him and produced a radio. He clicked the call button and spoke into it. "Paladin please enter the partition."
Then a lumbering mountain of a man clad in power armor entered the partition. He saluted the Scribe and Elder Maxson before addressing Dylan and John.
"Good Morning, I am Paladin Kodiak and I will be the leader of this task force. Good to have you both on board!" the man smiled warmly at the two after taking off his helmet.
"How is the new armor?" Maxson asked, inspecting the armor. As they looked, John noticed the gleam of the armor's finish and realized it was new as if it just rolled out of a factory.
"Works well enough and the fitting is good. I feel strong." Kodiak replied. "They do good work here."
"Is that-?" Dylan began to ask.
"Feast your eyes on the T-60b variant of our new Power Armor, Scribe Wade." Angharad spoke proudly. "While we designed this behemoth back in the Capital Wasteland, we've struggled to find a machine shop that could make it to our precise specifications. I believe we have found the right source for mass production, Elder." Angharad turned to Elder Maxson, who was studying the armor closely.
"Yes." Maxson said quietly. "The craftsmanship is superior to what exists in the Capital Wasteland. Is this simply due to the factory?"
"Yes, and the quality of the steel produced here." Angharad affirmed.
"If I may, Head Scribe, the skills of the local workers also contribute greatly to the quality?" Angharad raised a disapproving eyebrow towards John who had spoke out of turn.
"Speak." Maxson gestured while continuing to study Kodiak's armor.
"I don't fully understand the process myself, sir but from what I know there are little things here and there where local engineers have made additions to the suit." John pointed to Kodiak's gauntlet which had been branded with the seal of the Steel Workers Union. "I am confident that if we compare the suit itself with the blueprints we will find discrepancies beyond just the appearance." Angharad and Maxson shared a look with each other.
"Then we shall scrutinize the armor further." Angharad concluded. "Good work, Archivist Sakamoto." John gulped, Anghard only referred to John by title when he was displeased. Probably should've just written that in a report…
"This is good to know. Especially if there is fallback from the operation." Maxson said off-hand. John thought of what to ask but thought against doing so. "Paladin, please continue."
"Right." Paladin Kodiak spoke. "Welcome to Task Force Ares, people. Our mission is to investigate the possibility of synth activity in the city."
"Synth?" John asked. Kodiak nodded.
"That's right. There is some organization up north that is capable of producing synthetic humans or synths for short. This kind of technology is naturally dangerous and must be seized by the Brotherhood."
"If this organization is somewhere north, what is the Brotherhood doing here? Shouldn't we be taking the fight up there?" Dylan asked. Angharad nodded.
"We have other task forces handling that mission, Wade." Angharad explained. "For now, we must build up our strength and understanding of the enemy."
"And that brings us to the Pitt. I have my doubts about this but the the old CEO, James Young was a contact of the Underground Railroad that operated in the Capital Wasteland. We have reason to believe he assisted synths in building new lives here."
"Wait, wasn't James Young a member of the Brotherhood at the time?" Dylan asked. "If so, then-"
"Then working with synths is a betrayal of the Chains that Bind." Elder Maxson spoke authoritatively. "His rank of Sentinel was removed when this fact was discovered." John and Dylan watched the officers with great care. It seemed the time of open commentary had passed.
"Another team will be investigation finding the link between the former Sen- Chief Executive. We will be determining the extent to which this city has been used to harbor dangerous technology. To that extent, I would appreciate your twos' assistance on this mission."
"If you want my help then you got it, Paladin." Dylan answered confidently. The two exchanged handshakes before turning to John, who still had not determined his response.
"There is no obligation here, Mr. Sakamoto." Scribe Angharad spoke. He probably thought he was being reassuring.
"All of us have a choice to make for the coming days." Elder Maxson added. "Will you choose to stand alongside the people or will you stand up for what is good for them?"
John stared at each face carefully as he weighed his options.
"Why do you need me?" John asked cautiously. "I'm just an archivist and a consultant one at that."
"Mr. Sakamoto, my understanding is that your specialization here is local history?" Paladin Kodiak asked. John was not expecting that and simply nodded his response. "I was born here before being initiated into the Brotherhood. I don't know much about this place. I don't know its people, its history, its geography. I need to know all of these things to be successful in this mission. I'd rather not be responsible for another Scourge so I would grateful to have someone of your expertise in my corner so we can chart a different path for this city."
"Another Scourge?" John asked.
"It won't come to that." Kodiak placed his hand on John's shoulder. He gave him a confident smile to inform John of his intent. John could only bring himself to nod slowly as he considered the implications of a Brotherhood Scourge. Especially in the city as it exists now.
"Count me in, Paladin." John answered Kodiak's confidence with his own reborn nerve.
"Gladly!" Kodiak exclaimed excitedly. He grabbed John's hand and shook it firmly. To John it felt more like a yao guai paw had crushed his and shook him around but he was encouraged by the enthusiasm.
"With the support crew assembled, it's time to brief them on the mission parameters." Elder Maxson spoke cutting through the jovial mood. Angharad had taken position behind a projector and flipped the switch that projected Pre-War maps of the city.
"Our documents from the Citadel are outdated but we have commissioned Rangers to assist us in our cartography efforts. For the time being, please be understanding that our information is limited and much of your investigation will require you sourcing more from the community." Angharad droned.
"You have my blessing to do what you need to get the information necessary to complete your investigation." Elder Maxson added. "No need for arrests, confiscate rogue technology and bring it back to base."
"Sir, what if we encounter local resistance?" Dylan asked, her hand shooting up as if she were in a classroom.
"As I said, you have my blessing to do whatever you need, Scribe." Maxson clarified. Dylan's hand simmered back down as she mumbled she understood.
"Our instruments have yet to be optimized in the urban environment. As we continue integrating our systems into the technological infrastructure built by the Public Works Authority, we will provide you more specific information. For the time being, we have three strange energy readings to investigate. One, is somewhere in the Hotel Square. Two, the pre-war hospital. Three, somewhere deeper in the southern part of the city. Our readings are less precise here because of the waterline." Angharad continued.
"Anywhere we should prioritize?" Kodiak asked.
"We'll leave that to your discretion, Paladin." Maxson concluded. "Any questions?" No one responded. "Good. Humanity is counting on all of you to make sure that no technology reaches evil hands. We have a change to prevent some real harm from befalling this city. Act with discipline and go in the knowledge that the full weight of the Brotherhood of Steel is behind you. Ad Victoriam."
"Ad Victoriam!"
